Why Do I Always Fell Tired with Renal Insufficiency

Renal insufficiency is a disorder in which the kidneys fail to function adequately. Some patients with the condition may always feel tired.

Why do I always feel tired with renal insufficiency?

Anemia is the major culprit of tiredness in renal insufficiency. Kidneys can produce EPO, which is a kind of glycoprotein hormone. This kind of hormone can stimulate the bone marrow to produce red blood cells.

However, in renal insufficiency, kidneys fail to function adequately. The diseased kidneys can not make enough EPO. As a result, fewer red blood cells are produced, thus resulting in anemia.

Red blood cells are responsible for distributing oxygen to body kidney tissues and cells. Without adequate supply of oxygen to body tissues and cells, the patients will feel tired easily.

In addition, iron insufficiency also can contribute to anemia in renal insufficiency. Iron is one of important material in making red blood cells.

How to manage tiredness in renal insufficiency?

EPO

If no other cause for anemia is found, it can be treated with a genetically engineered form of EPO. The EPO is usually injected under the skin three or three times a week. Patients on hemodialysismay receive the hormone intravenously during treatment if they can not tolerate EPO shots.

Iron

If a person’s iron levels are too low, EPO won’t help. Iron supplements can help to raise their hematocrit to a satisfactory level.

If anemia can be controlled effectively, the patients with renal insufficiency will not feel tired so much. However, the above two measures only can relieve anemia, but can not control it fundamentally.

Anemia in renal insufficiency results from kidney impairment. To control the condition fundamentally, the patients should have a treatment to restore the impaired kidney structure to enhance renal function. If the kidneys can function better, anemia will be controlled fundamentally.