Uremia.
Dr. Sayeed Ahmad D.
I. Hom. (London)
Uremia,
presence in
the bloodstream of too many chemical wastes such as urea, a
nitrogen-rich waste product attributable to extra protein in the diet.
As chemical wastes build up in the body they produce a toxic effect,
possibly resulting in drowsiness, irritability, nausea, vomiting,
breathlessness, headaches, and muscle cramps. In extreme cases, uremia
may cause convulsions, coma, or death.
The kidneys normally filter chemical wastes from the
blood and send them to the urinary system for elimination from the body.Uremia most commonly develops when the kidneys fail
to function properly. In some cases, however, uremia occurs when blood
flow to the kidneys is reduced due to severe bleeding, serious burns, or
heart attack, or when more wastes are formed in the bloodstream as a
result of traumatic injuries or large surgical incisions than can be
removed by the kidneys. A kidney stone, a tumor in the urinary tract, or
a severely enlarged prostate in males may also cause uremia.Victims of uremia due to kidney failure undergo
kidney dialysis, a medical procedure that removes wastes from the blood.
Transplantation of kidneys from healthy donors to uremic patients has
also proven effective in some cases.
Urea
Urea, colorless, crystalline compound, CO(NH2)2,
with melting point 132.7° C (270.9° F), also known as carbamide. It is
found abundantly in the urine of humans and other mammals. In lesser
quantities, it is present in the blood, liver, lymph, and serous fluids
and is found in the excrement of fish and many other lower animals. Urea
is produced mostly in the liver as the end product of protein metabolism.
The nitrogen in urea, which constitutes most of the nitrogen in the
urine, is produced mainly from food protein, but part comes from the
breakdown of body cells.
Urine
Urine, pale yellow fluid produced by the kidneys,
composed of dissolved wastes and excess water or chemical substances
from the body. It is produced when blood filters through the kidneys,
which remove about 110 liters (230 pints) of watery fluid from the blood
every day. Most of this fluid is reabsorbed into the blood, but the
remainder is passed from the body as urine. Urine leaves the kidneys,
passes to the bladder through two slender tubes, the ureters, and exits
the body through the urethra. A healthy adult can produce between 0.5 to
2 liters (1 to 4 pints) of urine a day, but the quantity varies
considerably, depending on fluid intake and loss of fluid from sweating,
vomiting, or diarrhea.
Water accounts for about 96 percent, by volume, of
the urine excreted by a healthy person. Urine also contains small
amounts of urea, chloride, sodium, potassium, ammonia, and calcium.
Other substances, such as sugar, are sometimes excreted in the urine if
their concentration in the body becomes too great. The volume, acidity,
and salt concentration of urine are controlled by hormones. Measurements
of the composition of urine are useful in the diagnosis of a wide
variety of conditions, including kidney disease, diabetes, and
pregnancy.
Kidney Dialysis
Kidney Dialysis, also known as hemodialysis, medical
treatment used to remove waste materials from the blood of patients
lacking renal function. Blood from an artery is pumped through a
dialyzer, or artificial kidney, where it flows past a semipermeable
membrane. Dialysis fluid passing on the other side of the membrane
removes unwanted elements in the blood by diffusion. The blood is then
returned to the body through a vein.
In Allopathic treatment, the following drugs are
used:
Captopril
Captopril, drug typically used to control high blood
pressure. It is also used to treat congestive heart failure, heart
attacks, and kidney disease in diabetic patients.
Captopril is classified as an ACE inhibitor. It works by interfering
with angiotensin-converting enzymes (ACE) in the body, which influence
salt and water retention. The result is relaxed artery walls and lowered
blood pressure.Captopril should be taken one hour before a meal.
Tablets are taken orally two or three times a day in doses ranging from
25 to 150 mg. Patients
are often started on a small dosage, which is increased as needed.
Captopril must be taken regularly to be effective, even after symptoms
are relieved, which usually takes several weeks. Long-term use of this
drug for months or years is not uncommon.Patients with kidney disease or impaired kidney
function should use captopril with caution. Exercise or other physical
activity should be approved by a doctor. This drug should not be taken
by pregnant women, as it can harm the fetus, especially in the second
and third trimesters. Breast-feeding women should be aware that
captopril is known to appear in breast milk. Captopril has not been
proven safe for children.Possible side effects include itching, skin rash,
loss of taste, and extremely low blood pressure. Less common side
effects include blurred vision, confusion, light-headedness,
constipation, depression, fatigue, muscle pain or weakness, light
sensitivity, nausea, peptic ulcer, sleepiness, fainting, wheezing
stroke, or heart failure. A reaction that includes chest pain, sweating,
vomiting, diarrhea, or swelling of the arms, legs, mouth, or throat
(including difficulty swallowing) requires immediate medical attention.
Yellowing of the skin or eyes may indicate a liver problem, which also
requires immediate medical care.Although captopril may be prescribed in combination
with a diuretic or digitalis (found in the drug digoxin), it can react
adversely with these drugs. It also may react adversely with aspirin,
certain blood pressure medications such as beta blockers, lithium,
nitroglycerin, anti-inflammatory medications, and potassium supplements
(including salt substitutes that contain potassium).
Brand Names:
Capoten,
Capozide
Furosemide
Furosemide, drug used to help the body remove excess
fluid by increasing urine flow, also known as a diuretic. This is useful
in the treatment of high blood pressure, congestive heart failure,
kidney disease, and liver disease.
It reduces water and salt in the body, relieving pressure on the
circulatory system and various organs.Furosemide must be prescribed by a doctor. Available
in tablet and liquid form, it is usually taken twice a day in dosages
starting at 20 to 80 mg. This is increased as needed to a maximum daily
dosage of 600 mg. The drug may be taken with food to minimize stomach
irritation. Effectiveness is usually apparent after two to three weeks,
although long-term treatment (months to years) is not uncommon with this
drug. Potassium supplements or a potassium-rich diet is needed in some
patients to prevent excess potassium loss.Patients with liver or kidney disease, diabetes,
gout, lupus erythematosus, or an allergy to sulfa drugs should use
furosemide with caution.
Its safety for use during pregnancy is
not known, but it does appear in breast milk. Children may take this
drug, with dosage based on body weight.Possible side effects may include constipation,
diarrhea, nausea, headache, fever, dizziness, excessive thirst, skin
rash, hives, impotence, ringing in the ears, light-sensitivity, or
blurred vision. Furosemide
may interact adversely with aspirin, barbiturates, narcotics, and other
muscle-relaxing drugs.
Brand Name:
Lasix
ACE Inhibitor
ACE Inhibitor, any of a group of drugs used to treat
high blood pressure (hypertension). ACE inhibitors are also used to
treat congestive heart failure, heart attacks, and kidney disease in
diabetic patients.
Properly known as angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, these
drugs work by interfering with the enzymes that convert an inactive
chemical known as angiotensin I to an active form, angiotensin II.
Angiotensin II increases the retention of salt and water in the body,
raising blood pressure. Inhibiting the formation of angiotensin II
results in relaxed arterial walls and lowered blood pressure.ACE inhibitors are prescription drugs available in
tablets and capsules that are taken orally. Dosages range from 2.5 to
450 mg per day, depending on the particular type of ACE inhibitor and
the condition being treated. An injectable liquid form is typically
prescribed in 1.25-mg doses administered every six hours. Effectiveness
may not be apparent for two to four weeks. Because ACE inhibitors
control but do not cure high blood pressure, they are often used in
long-term therapy (months to years) even after symptoms are relieved.
Specific ACE inhibitors include captopril, enalapril, and lisinopril.ACE inhibitors should not be taken by pregnant women
as the drugs can harm the fetus, especially in the second and third
trimesters.
These drugs increase the level of potassium in the blood, so other
medications and diet supplements that contain potassium (or that affect
potassium levels) such as diuretics should be used with caution.Potential side effects associated with ACE inhibitors
include abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea, fatigue, insomnia,
headache, and vomiting. Less common side effects include anemia, chest
pain, changes in heart rhythm, or heart attack.
Diuretic
Diuretic, chemical compound that increases the flow
of urine and thus eliminates accumulations of water in cells, tissues,
blood, and organs. The retention of excess water may occur following
injury, as when water accumulates in the knee; in congestive heart
failure, when the heart pumps insufficient blood to eliminate a normal
volume of fluid; and in a variety of other disabilities, including
hypertension, cirrhosis of the liver, and kidney diseases. Heart
stimulants, such as digitalis, produce a diuretic effect by increasing
blood pressure and thus increasing the flow of blood through the
kidneys. Certain alkaloids found in coffee and tea (caffeine,
theobromine, and theophylline, in increasing order of strength) increase
urine output by counteracting the tendency of blood proteins to prevent
the removal of water from the blood by the kidneys. A class of drug
known as loop diuretics, such as furosemide, are extremely effective
when taken orally. All diuretics may have severe side effects, may cause
abnormal excretion of sodium, potassium, and chloride, and may become
ineffective after repeated use.
HOMŒOPATHIC TREATMENT FOR UREMIA
* With anæmia and paralytic symptoms —– Ars.,
Camph., Chin-a., Cinch., Phos., Ph-ac., Ter.* Asphytic form. —– Hydr-ac.
* With acute atrophy of brain and medulla Oblongata.
—– Phos.* Convulsions. —– Apoc., Cic., Crot-h., Cupr.,
Cupr-ar., Dig., Hydr-ac., Kali-s., Merc-c., Mosch., Plb., Ter.* Tendency to convulsions. —– Plb.
* With dropsy. —– Apis
* With cerebral hyperæmia. —– Am-c., Bell., Con.,
Cupr., Gels., Glon., Merc-c., Stram., Tab., Ter., Ver-v.* With drowsiness, insensibility and frightful
Convulsions (contracted kidney). —– Dig.* Especially in drunkards. —– Ars.
* In emphysema, with heart disease. —– Ars.
* Hydropericardium. —– Ars.
* Narcosis. —– Aur.
* In senile hypertrophy, and induration of prostate,
stricture of urethra, and ammoniæmia. —– Iod.* Puerperal. —– Benz-ac.
* At beginning of scarlatina. —– Ars.
* Impending, in scarlatina. —– Ail., Arum-t.
* Senile. —– Iod., Lyc.
* With sopor. —– Agar., Anac., Bell., Hydr-ac.,
Kali-br., Op.* Threatened. —– Canth.
* Uremic Coma. —– Am-c., Apis, Apoc., Ars.,
Asc-c., Bell., Cann-i., Canth., Carb-ac., Cic., Cupr., Cupr-ar., Glon.,
Hell., Hydr-ac., Hyos., Kali-br., Morph., Op., Phos., Pic-ac., Piloc.,
Stram., Tab., Ter., Urea, Urt-u., Verat-v.
NOTE :
Any information given above is not intended to be
taken as a replacement for medical advice. Therefore, it is very
important that the patients should avoid self-treatment and rather
consult the most abled and qualified classical homœopath and take the
treatment under his proper guidance and advice.
Reference:
MS Encarta Encyclopædia.
Repertory of Hering’s Guiding Symptoms of Our Materia Medica by
Calvin B. Knerr, M. D.Copyright © Dr. Sayeed Ahmad
2004