If your kidneys are in the early stages of a disease, a general care doctor may be able to help to prevent and treat them. However, in many cases, kidney diseases occur without any or non-specific symptoms that are hard to detect. Some of them include fatigue, changes in the urine amount, and sleep troubles.

Therefore, people who are at a higher risk for kidney diseases must go through regular tests to monitor their kidney health and functioning. Individuals with diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and a family history of kidney problems should be cautious.

Regular tests will help you detect any signs of declining kidney function like an increase in albumin level in urine or a decrease in GFR value. If the tests show that your kidney functions are rapidly or continually deteriorating, it’s time to see a nephrologist.

Some of the common reasons why your doctor may refer you to a nephrologist are mentioned below.

• Sudden loss of kidney functions or acute renal failure
• CKD (chronic kidney disease) with a long-term decline in kidney functions
• Cystitis or bladder infections and Pyelonephritis or kidney infection
• Recurring kidney stone formation
• Presence of blood, crystals, proteins or casts in the urine
• Acid-base imbalance or electrolyte disorders
• Diabetic nephropathy
• Hypertensive nephrosclerosis (kidney damage from high blood pressure)
• Atheroembolic kidney disease (kidney damage from atherosclerosis)
• Autoimmune diseases such as lupus, autoimmune vasculitis, etc.
• Drugs or toxins that may have caused kidney damage

Though Urology and Nephrology deal with kidney problems, they are reasonably different. A urologic surgeon or urologist is a surgical specialist who treats kidney diseases caused by physical reasons, such as

• kidney stones
• prostate enlargement
• bladder infections and bladder control issues
• cancer of the urinary tract
• hydronephrosis or swelling of the kidney occurring due to the blockage in the passage of urine
• other defects like cysts and deformed kidneys, etc.

They also focus on other parts of the urinary tract, including the ureters, bladder, and urethra.

On the other hand, a nephrologist’s area of expertise is focused on treating the functional issues of the kidney. They prescribe non-surgical medical treatments if your kidney function is impaired by:

• kidney failure
• blood or protein leakage in your urine
• advanced chronic kidney disease
• hypertension or high blood pressure
• inherited kidney disease
• a chemical imbalance in the blood (can occur from high or low sodium and potassium levels in the blood)

A nephrologist conducts several tests and procedures to determine various conditions and disorders of the kidney.

Laboratory tests

The laboratory tests are usually performed on the blood or urine sample of the patient. Again, there are many tests that a nephrologist can perform to check the functioning of the kidneys.

Blood tests

• GFR or Glomerular filtration rate: The GFR test tells whether your kidneys are functioning well to filter the blood. If you have a disease, your GFR goes below the normal levels.
• Serum creatinine: This test measures the level of creatinine in the blood. Individuals with kidney dysfunction will have a higher creatinine level in the blood.
• BUN or Blood urea nitrogen: Like creatinine, urea nitrogen is a waste product. High levels of BUN indicate kidney dysfunction.

Urine tests

• Urinalysis: Here, a urine sample is tested for the presence of abnormal levels of blood, glucose, bacteria, or protein.
• ACR or Albumin/creatinine ratio: It determines the level of the protein albumin in the urine.
• 24-hour urine collection: In this method, all of the urine that the patient produces is collected for 24 hours. Samples collected are sent for further testing.
• Creatinine clearance: Here, a blood sample and a 24-hour urine sample are put through the test to calculate the amount of creatinine that left the blood and moved to the urine.

A nephrologist sees patients with problems and conditions related to the kidneys or specific type of metabolic disorders. They conduct blood and urine tests to determine how well their kidneys are functioning. In some cases, they may also order an ultrasound or a kidney biopsy to get a better idea of the conditions.

However, nephrologists don’t typically perform surgeries. Operations and surgeries for the treatment of various kidney conditions are usually performed by urologists.

Dialysis ensures the normal functioning of the body by:

• Removing waste, extra liquid and salt to prevent it from clogging up in the body
• Maintain a proper level of chemicals in the blood, like sodium, potassium, and bicarbonate
• Controlling blood pressure levels

Nephrologists are doctors specializing in the care and treatment of kidney or renal related diseases. Disorders that are treated by nephrologists include kidney cancers, blood pressure, autoimmune disorders, diabetic nephropathy, and other related complications.

This is subjected to vary depending upon certain factors which include:

• Effectiveness of kidney function
• Type of dialyzer being used
• Bodyweight and build of a patient
• Fluid weight gained between treatments

Diabetes and high blood pressure are the two major causes responsible for kidney disease. Apart from this, other factors may include inherited kidney disorders like lupus or polycystic kidney disease.

High blood pressure, also called hypertension, results in damage to blood vessels in your vital body organs such as the heart, brain, and kidneys. However, if you already have kidney disease then it can worsen the situation for high blood pressure, making it critically dangerous.