Kidney disease side effects

[Jimmy]

My 75 year old father in law has bad kidneys. His mind is very muddled. This has come on suddenly, which leads us to believe that it's not alzheimer's. He gets obssesed with things and seems to be living in the past at times.

Is this one of the side effects?

A doctor wants to put a stint in to help blood flow. We will do anything we can. The doctors are not as concerned as we are(it seems). How long can he go like this before gets worse. I told the doctor we want it done NOW!

Thank you,

[DoriSchatell]

Hi Jimmy,

By age 75, many (if not most) people have "bad kidneys," since kidney function tends to decline with age. There is a number called GFR (glomerular filtration rate) which represents the % of kidney function. Do you know this number for your father-in-law? If not, perhaps his doctor could tell you what it is. A GFR of 100% is normal; a GFR of 15% or less means that renal replacement (dialysis or a transplant) is needed. In between, there are several "stages" of kidney disease. People may or may not progress from one stage to another.

The kidneys filter out wastes and excess fluid from the blood. If these wastes build up in the body and brain because the kidneys are failing, it is possible for confusion and memory problems to occur. Also, as the kidneys fail, they stop making a hormone (erythropoietin) that helps the body to make red blood cells, which carry oxygen to the tissues and brain. A shortage of red blood cells is called anemia--and anemia, too, can cause confusion and memory problems. So, it would also be a good idea to find out if your father-in-law has anemia. Only about 1 in 4 people with early kidney disease gets treatment for anemia--but untreated anemia can cause heart damage as well as fatigue and other symptoms.

There are many causes of confusion in older people, and you are right to be concerned about finding and treating the cause. If possible, having a family talk with his doctor may help sort out what options are available to diagnose and treat him. You may want to request a referral to gerontologist (doctor who specializes in the elderly) or a neurologist (nerve specialist) if you're not getting where you need to be. If your father-in-law's kidneys are close to failing, you may want to ask for a referral to a nephrologist (kidney specialist).