Once broken, check the kidney that is difficult to recover from, the color and smell of urine at Himchan Hospital

Jun 02, 2025

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Even if there are problems with the function, the kidneys do not have any special symptoms, making it difficult to recognize the disease until the function is significantly lowered by more than 70%. When subjective symptoms such as hematuria or swelling appear, the disease is often advanced, so early detection through regular checkups is important to prevent severe diseases.

The kidneys are like our body's filter factory, so they release waste products in the blood, control the amount of water and salt in the body, and control the electrolyte concentration, and maintain improvement in the body, such as anemia and blood pressure control. In particular, glomeruli, which act as filters, filter waste from both kidneys while preventing substances required by our body, such as blood and proteins, from passing through.

Lee Ji-eun, director of the Department of Nephrology at Himchan General Hospital in Incheon, said, "The glomerulus has 1 million in one kidney in a round ball shape with blood vessels intertwined like threads, and 2 million in both sides combined." "The glomerulus filters out waste products in the blood and excrets them in the urine, and removes unnecessary moisture.", he explained. This glomerulus is damaged, leading to kidney disease.

◇ glomerulonephritis, chronic kidney disease can develop...You need to check the color and smell of urine

Glomerulonephritis is literally a disease that causes inflammation of the glomerulus, and when inflammation occurs, the normal filtering function of the kidneys decreases. The urine color is different from usual, and systemic symptoms such as loss of appetite, decreased urination, dizziness, shortening breathing, nausea, headache, swelling of the eyes or legs, and fatigue may be accompanied, and proteinuria or hematuria may be discharged. Inflammation is mainly caused by an immune response to bacteria or viruses in the glomerulus, and kidney damage caused by genetic factors, specific drugs, or chemicals is also the cause.

Proteinuria and hematuria are the most common symptoms that can suspect glomerulonephritis.

Proteinuria is the detection of protein in urine, and it can be confirmed with the eyes due to severe bubbles as if soap bubbles were released in urine. Hematuria refers to a case in which urine color appears red, but even if the urine color is clear, microhematuria in which red blood cell is detected in the urine test may occur. If the timing of treatment for glomerulonephritis is missed or neglected, it is likely to develop into chronic kidney disease. If inflammation and fibrosis persist in the glomerulus, the glomerular filtration rate gradually decreases, and dialysis or transplantation should be considered when it falls below 15 cc per minute.

Urinalysis, one of the basic checkups, is the easiest way to detect kidney dysfunction early. Urine plays a role in metabolizing and discharging various substances in the human body, and is an important measure to check health conditions. This is because if there is an abnormality in health, the color of urine, the presence or absence of foam, the turbidity, the discharge, and the smell of the urine will be different from usual.

◇ Elderly and metabolic syndrome patients need constant management...Regular examination, diet therapy, etc. are important

Since kidney failure is difficult to recover once it is broken, the most important preventive measure is to be continuously examined through regular checkups to detect and treat it early. Above all, if you are 65 years of age or older, have high blood pressure, diabetes, or have a family history, it is necessary to check for proteinuria or hematuria on a regular basis and measure serum creatinine and glomerular filtration rates. If the kidney's function is poor, the waste cannot be properly filtered, so there is proteinuria in the urine that comes with protein, or waste components such as creatinine increase in the blood.

If you usually have risk factors such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity, you should consistently manage and treat them with drugs, diet, and exercise. If the kidney function is deteriorated, it is difficult to discharge sodium, so it is better to eat food as bland as possible. If the function is greatly reduced, care should be taken not to drink as much or less water because moisture control or waste discharge is not smooth.

Center Director Lee Ji-eun "If you are 65 years of age or older and have diabetes, you need to pay more attention to kidney health."Since diet therapy is applied differently depending on the individual's condition, you should manage your diet and practice life management after consulting with your doctor." he advised.