Kidney Ailments

 

Vocabulary

kidney	function	extremely
in turn	warning	permanent
harm	slippers	blood vessels
sign (3)	properly	blood pressure
severe	damage	by the time
aware	indirect	swell/swelled/swollen
pain	head (2)	indication
prod	tailor (2)	pollutant
hurt	diagnose	notice (2)
filter	replace	bloodstream
toxin	remove	retention
recall	go away	symptom
aim (2)	improve	come about
hope	therapy	advance (2)
enable	cold (2)	tailor-made
spread	prevent	condition
urine	find out	pass out (2)
chronic	primary	concentrate
renal	observe	take place
put on	signal (2)	muscle (2)
protein	detoxify	no business
lead to	threaten	life-threatening
insight	prepare	conduct (3)
failure	progress	patient (2)

 
 
 
 

Video: Blood Pressure and Kidneys

 

Transcript

Andre Martin had extremely high blood pressure, but didn’t even notice it. So he also had no idea that something was wrong with his kidneys.

High blood pressure can be an early warning sign of a problem with your kidneys.

And when blood pressure is permanently high, it in turn harms blood vessels including those in the kidneys.

Water retention in the legs is a further indication of kidney disease, although by the time you notice it, then the kidneys will in most cases already be severely damaged.

Andre Martin, was unaware of his kidney disease: “The first symptom was swollen feet. I only noticed it because I could no longer put on my slippers — and I don’t really recall being in pain.

I didn’t give them a good prod like Professor Benzing just now. All I saw was that they had gotten a bit fatter, and then my wife said they needed to be looked at.”

Dr. Thomas Benzing, Kidney Disease Researcher: “The problem with kidney disease is that it doesn’t hurt. There are indirect signals, but there’s no pain as such.

And that often leads to the condition being diagnosed very late on.

By then the kidneys stops functioning. And that function can no longer be replaced.”

And by the time Andre Martin arrived at the Cologne University Hospital, his kidneys were already damaged.

The filter system that normally removes toxins from the bloodstream was no longer working properly.

The doctors tried everything.

The hospital has one of the world’s leading research centers for kidney disease. Professor Benzing heads an international team of experts specializing in kidney filtration.

Dr. Thomas Benzing, Nephrologist: “The research being conducted here aims to improve our understanding of how kidney disease comes about. Our hope is that the advances made in the past few years will enable us to develop new therapies.”

New insights on kidney filtration have enabled scientists to develop a new drug, tailor-made to help patients like Andre Martin.

The medication is designed to prevent any spreading of damage to the kidneys.

Every day the kidneys filter around one-hundred eighty liters of so-called primary urine, although this is then concentrated into one-and-a-half liters actually being passed out of the body, there are 180 liters being filtered out of the blood.

And that takes place in a million, mini-filters in the kidneys.

And unfortunately in many cases, they are sick, which is what leads to chronic kidney disease.”

It was in this laboratory that a young researcher observed those tiny, renal muscles and their filters. They are tasked with detoxifying the body by removing pollutants from the blood.

When they don’t function properly, they let the toxins through. That’s why Andre Martin’s urine contains protein, which has no business being there.

Andre Martin, Kidney Patient: “When people first find out, naturally they don’t think it could lead to some life-threatening condition. And if it’s their first time, they are not really prepared for it.

Then they realize it’s not just some cold that will go away again in a day or two.”

Damaged kidneys are a common cause of death among patients with high blood pressure.

The doctors in Cologne will not be able to get Andre Martin’s healthy back to a hundred percent, but they can slow the progression of the disease, and prevent kidney failure.

Questions

1. Andre Martin felt extreme pain and suffered from his high blood pressure and kidney ailment. True or false?

2. What are some symptoms of kidney disorder?

3. Does high blood pressure positive or negative affect on kidneys, or it has no effect? Why does it have a bad affect?

4. Even if not treated early, damaged kidney can always recover. Is this right or wrong?

5. What is happening at the Cologne University Hospital? What are scientists doing there? What are their goals?

6. Describe the role or function of our kidneys.

7. Are malfunctioning kidneys life-threatening? Why is this a very serious condition?

8. Andre Martin will eventually make a full recovery. Is this correct or incorrect?

 

A. I know someone who has had kidney disorder or ailment. True or false? If yes, describe their experience.

B. How widespread are kidney ailments? Is it very widespread, common, it sometimes occurs, it’s not that common or very rare? What about high blood pressure?

C. Do you often hear about the need for kidney transplants and waiting lists?

D. Have kidney ailments been increasing, decreasing or remaining the same over the years?

E. What will happen in the future?

F. What is the solution for kidney disorders? Can people maintain healthy kidneys?