Dr. Juan Kusnir - Health Channel

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Dr. Juan Kusnir

Dr. Juan Kusnir, Nephrologist with Baptist Health South Florida, explains with a digital imaging, how the CKD (Chronic kidney disease) happens.

He says the key is the early diagnosis of diabetes or high blood pressure for avoiding the progression of those illnesses. If it doesn’t happen, they’ll start to cause the damage in the kidney.

Long-standing damage is irreparable, he affirms. Dr. Juan Kusnir, Nephrologist with Baptist Health South Florida, says it is possible for someone not to have any symptoms of a kidney disease, but they may have the condition. A visit at the primary care physician can help to discover it.

But there are symptoms, such as swelling, sudden increase in blood pressure and blood in the urine. Urinating too frequently or not urinating enough, especially in elderly males, are symptoms of issues with the prostate, says Dr. Samantha Taghva, Internal Medicine Physician with Baptist Health South Florida.

Those are two of the most common symptoms of kidney failure is looming, she says, and is it probably the patient’s progress into the CKD (Chronic kidney disease).

Dr. Juan Kusnir, Nephrologist at the same place, advises drinking a lot of water and staying hydrated, because the kidney looks for body equilibrium. People who have diabetes, blood pressure and obesity will eventually have progression to CKD (Chronic kidney disease). Dr. Samantha Taghva, Internal Medicine Physician with Baptist Health South Florida, also says they could have a genetic predisposition to CKD.

An early diagnostic and having under control any risk condition (diabetes, overweight, blood pressure) can slow progression into CKD, affirms Dr. Juan Kusnir, Nephrologist at the same place. Dialysis is in essential an artificial kidney. People whose kidneys no longer work well enough need to be connected to a dialysis machine, says Dr. Juan Kusnir, Nephrologist with Baptist Health South Florida.

The patient is connected to a dialysis machine and essentially does the job of the kidneys: cleans the blood, filters out all the toxins and regulates the electrolytes.

Dr. Samantha Taghva, Internal Medicine Physician at the same place, considers dialysis affects the patient’s emotional life, because it affects his quality of life and his happiness. Patients with low sodium can start to affect their neurological state. They may start to get a little bit confused, they might start to slur a little bit, they may have few regularities in their gait, the way they walk, seizures and, even, coma.
Potassium, magnesium, phosphorus and calcium are done mostly in the kidney. If they have any high level of electrolyte, it is not good for a patient’s health, says Dr. Juan Kusnir, Nephrologist with Baptist Health South Florida.

High potassium can cause several health problems, such as arrhythmias and even sudden cardiac death, he adds. Kidney disease is rising, just like most chronic illnesses like obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure according to Dr. Samantha Taghva, Internal Medicine Physician with Baptist Health South Florida.

More than 1 in 7 Americans are estimated to have CKD (Chronic kidney disease), but 30 million Americans have chronic kidney disease and most of them are unaware they have it. Specific urine and blood tests are the only way to know if someone has the condition.

Dr. Juan Kusnir, Nephrologist with Baptist Health South Florida, describes that physicians use Creatinine test, looking for marks of the kidney function, and urine test to search any abnormality.

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