HIV and kidney disease
Your kidneys remove waste and extra water from your blood. Waste and water leave your body in the form of urine. Kidney disease harms your kidneys and keeps them from doing their job.
What you should know about kidney disease:
- Some people have a higher chance than others of getting kidney disease. People at risk for kidney disease include those who have:
- HIV (especially when their CD4 cell count is less than 200)
- Diabetes
- High blood pressure
- Hepatitis B or C
- Family members with kidney disease
- Certain ethnic backgrounds—African Americans, Native Americans, Latinos, and Asian and Pacific Islanders
- Symptoms of kidney disease include:
- Loss of energy
- Shortness of breath
- Loss of body fluids (dehydration)
- Being very thirsty
- Increase in body fluids
- Loss of appetite
- Having to pee (urinate) many times each day
- High blood pressure
- Fast heart rate
- A blood or urine test can check for kidney disease. If you have HIV, you should have this test done before you start HIV medicines. After you start, have the test done as often as your healthcare provider suggests. Print a list of questions for your healthcare provider about HIV and kidney disease
- HIV infection may cause a certain kind of kidney disease in people with AIDS
- Medicines can harm the kidneys, including some HIV medicines and some medicines used to treat a form of pneumonia called PCP
- Treatment depends on the cause of kidney disease
- If you have kidney disease, talk with your healthcare provider about the best HIV treatment for you
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