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Zhou Qi
Nephrology
About me
An associate chief physician in the Nephrology Department of the People's Hospital of Ma'anshan City, with a Master's degree from a key medical university. Participated or led multiple projects funded by the Natural Science Foundation, and published nearly ten papers in Chinese and core journals.
Proficient in diseases
Glomerular diseases, diabetic nephropathy, lupus nephritis, blood purification.
Voices
Can kidney cancer patients eat eggs?
Patients with kidney cancer can eat eggs. Kidney cancer is a malignant tumor of the kidney, originating from the epithelial cells of the renal tubules. Although this disease is a malignant tumor, the patient's body still needs nutrients. Therefore, high-protein foods can be consumed by patients, and they should maintain a protein intake roughly the same as that of healthy individuals. Eggs are rich in protein, with each egg containing about seven to eight grams of protein. Kidney cancer patients can eat eggs without worsening their condition or causing the disease to spread. The folk saying that some foods are "stimulating" is not scientifically founded. Currently, there is no clear evidence in medicine to support the claim that eggs and beef are "stimulating."
What are the common symptoms of kidney cancer?
Kidney cancer is a malignant tumor of the renal parenchymal tissue. Some patients do not have specific symptoms, especially in the early stages. As the disease progresses, patients may find a mass in the abdomen. Some patients may experience back pain due to the enlargement of the kidney pressing against the renal capsule. Some patients experience bleeding due to the gradual rupture of the tumor, causing visible blood in the urine, which sometimes appears as painless throughout the blood in the urine. These symptoms may indicate the presence of a malignant tumor in the kidney, and diagnosis needs to be confirmed through ultrasound and CT scans.
Can chronic renal failure become pregnant?
Although patients with renal failure are not absolutely unable to become pregnant, pregnancy is ultimately a burden on the kidneys. Pregnant patients with renal failure may experience further deterioration of kidney function and may face numerous complications during pregnancy, such as heart failure, severe anemia, etc., which may pose some risks. However, there are still very rare case reports, including successful pregnancies in patients on dialysis for uremia, but the probability of this is extremely small, and the risks involved are too great. Generally speaking, it is not recommended for female patients with chronic renal failure to become pregnant.
Is diabetic nephropathy with facial swelling serious?
Patients with diabetic nephropathy who experience facial swelling should not use this symptom as a basis for judging the severity of their condition. Diabetic nephropathy is divided into five stages. The condition is relatively mild during the first three stages. By the fourth stage, patients begin to exhibit significant proteinuria, and by the fifth stage, they experience severe renal failure. Conditions in these last two stages are quite severe. However, patients might also experience facial swelling during the first three stages, and while the likelihood of facial swelling increases during the fourth and fifth stages, some patients in these stages might not show obvious edema. Therefore, it is difficult to determine the severity of the condition based solely on swelling. Patients need to undergo 24-hour urinary protein quantification and blood tests to assess kidney function in order to judge the severity of their condition.
Chronic Kidney Failure Various Indicators
In patients with chronic kidney failure, the primary indicator to observe is obviously kidney function. It is essential to regularly monitor the patient's blood creatinine and urea nitrogen levels, which are generally required to be tested every 1 to 3 months when chronic kidney failure is stable. Additionally, urine output should be monitored. If there is a decrease in urine output and swelling occurs, it may indicate that the patient's kidney function is continuously deteriorating. A complete blood count should also be checked to observe changes in the patient's anemia status. Chronic kidney failure often causes hypertension, so blood pressure monitoring is also necessary for these patients. Electrolyte monitoring is important as kidney failure can lead to disturbances in calcium and phosphorus metabolism and subsequent secondary hyperparathyroidism. Therefore, the levels of calcium, phosphorus, and parathyroid hormone also need to be tested.
How to reduce proteinuria in diabetic nephropathy.
A major clinical feature of diabetic nephropathy is the occurrence of proteinuria, which, if the condition continues to progress, can lead to kidney failure. Controlling proteinuria in the early stages of the disease is indeed very important. In terms of treatment, it is primarily necessary to use medications or insulin to control the patient's blood sugar, as hyperglycemia is the fundamental cause of diabetic nephropathy. Additionally, these patients often also have hypertension, necessitating the use of antihypertensive drugs to control blood pressure. When the patient's kidney function is not severely impaired, ACE inhibitors or ARBs can be the preferred choice of antihypertensive drugs, as they not only control blood pressure but also reduce proteinuria. However, if the patient's serum creatinine is significantly elevated, such as over 264 µmol/L, these drugs should no longer be used. (Medications should be used under the guidance of a doctor.)
Is nephrotic syndrome easy to treat in children?
The diagnostic criteria for nephrotic syndrome are a 24-hour urinary protein quantification exceeding 3.5g and plasma albumin levels below 30g/l. This is due to severe damage to the glomerular capillary network, which has many pathological types since there are various components to the glomerular capillaries, and damage to different components is referred to as different pathological types. Among children, the most common pathological types are minimal change disease and mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis. These two types are relatively easier to treat. Most children are sensitive to steroid medication. However, treatment becomes difficult with other pathological types, such as focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, which shows less sensitivity to steroids. (Medication use should be under the guidance of a doctor.)
Can poor kidney function cause hair loss?
Poor kidney function is actually not significantly related to hair loss. Even in severe cases of kidney failure or patients with uremia, most still retain their hair. Not all patients with uremia experience hair loss. Thus, there is not much of a connection between kidney function and hair growth. If a patient is experiencing hair loss, it could be due to issues with the skin or scalp itself, such as male pattern baldness which is related to an excess of androgens in the hair follicles, or factors like allergies or fungal infections could also cause hair loss.
Is diabetic nephropathy stage 3 reversible?
Patients with diabetic nephropathy actually have an irreversible condition. If a patient has developed mild to moderate proteinuria and entered stage three, it's generally because of long-term high blood sugar, oxidative stress, and an excess of glycation end products damaging the capillaries of the glomerulus, resulting in increased permeability and the occurrence of proteinuria. The damage that has already occurred cannot be reversed; however, patients still need active treatment to control their blood sugar and blood pressure in order to slow down the progression of diabetic nephropathy as much as possible. Stage three diabetic nephropathy is incurable, but treatment can slow the progression of the kidney disease, preventing the development from microalbuminuria to macroalbuminuria. Stage three refers to the early period of diabetic nephropathy, typically seen in diabetic patients who have had the disease for more than five years. It can feature a continuous increase in urinary albumin excretion rates. High filtration rates and long-term poor metabolic control may be reasons for the persistent microalbuminuria. During this stage, patients may experience a mild increase in blood pressure, and reducing blood pressure can decrease the excretion of microalbumin. During this period, strict control of blood sugar is necessary. Oral hypoglycemic drugs can be used for treatment, and it's crucial to regularly monitor fasting blood glucose, postprandial blood glucose, and glycated hemoglobin. Blood pressure should also be actively controlled, generally targeting a value of 130/80mmHg. Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor antagonists are preferred as they can lower blood pressure, reduce proteinuria, and have a protective effect on the kidneys, thus delaying the progression of kidney disease.
Can kidney cancer patients be contagious?
Kidney cancer is not an infectious disease, so it is not contagious. Kidney cancer actually occurs when carcinogenic changes happen in the epithelial cells of the renal tubules, leading to the formation of masses and blood in the urine within the kidneys, and can even cause kidney failure. Moreover, kidney cancer carries a certain risk of metastasis, potentially causing damage to other organs. This disease is not contagious. The so-called infectiousness of a disease is due to the presence of pathogens that can cause infection. For example, hepatitis B can be transmitted because carriers have the hepatitis B virus in their bodies. Kidney cancer, however, does not involve viruses, bacteria, or fungi, so it is not infectious.