Though he was called Barry Carter at birth, the whole world knew him as Barry White. For decades, he made many listeners swoon because of his deep, velvety voice. Before that, however, he got started in the music industry by joining singing groups in the 60s. It wasn’t until the 70s that he launched a solo career. Once that began, White went on to release several albums to industry acclaim.
Over a four-decade career, Barry White sold more than 100 million records, charted dozens of gold and platinum albums and earned two Grammy Awards. His silky baritone was musical Viagra and solidified his role as the Godfather of Love.
His voice might have been his most noteworthy feature but White was also known for being overweight. It’s believed that this led to him being eventually diagnosed with diabetes and high blood pressure. Either of these conditions could have further caused his kidney failure. Given the late stage of the disease, he was placed on dialysis while waiting for a kidney transplant. Unfortunately, he had a stroke and passed away months later in 2003.
What Is Kidney Failure?
Kidney failure is also known as end-stage renal disease (ESRD). This condition is the last stage of chronic kidney disease and signals that your kidneys have stopped working effectively.
You can also have acute kidney failure because of an injury or an illness. Without properly functioning kidneys, the waste in your blood won’t be filtered out.
Once the waste starts to build up, you can expect to experience multiple symptoms such as frothy urine, itchy skin, loss of appetite, swelling in your extremities, persistent nausea, and muscle cramps. If left untreated, kidney failure is typically fatal.
While kidney failure isn’t considered to be common, statistics show that over 800,000 Americans are currently living with the condition. It doesn’t help that nine out of 10 people with kidney disease are unaware of it until it gets to the point of kidney failure.
Many factors can increase your risk of having kidney problems. A few of them include having a family history of kidney disease, having diabetes, having high blood pressure, being over the age of 60, and taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for a long time. Additionally, Black Americans are three times as likely to develop kidney failure as other ethnicities.
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How The Condition Is Diagnosed
After discussing your medical history and symptoms, your doctor is likely to request different tests to assess your kidney function. These include blood, urine, imaging, and urine output tests. You may also undergo a kidney biopsy so your doctor can get a clear picture of how your kidney has been damaged. The amount of damage combined with the results of other tests can determine the stage of your kidney disease, which will be important for treating the disease.
It’s also common for doctors to request other tests so they can find the underlying cause of your kidney failure. This will be especially important if your kidney failure is acute instead of chronic. It’s more likely for your kidneys to recoup some of their function in the former case. Some of the illnesses that can affect your kidneys include high blood pressure, diabetes, and polycystic kidney disease. If your doctor finds any conditions, they’ll treat those as well.
How Kidney Failure Is Treated
Given how important your kidneys are, it will be necessary for you to take certain medications that manage the effects of chronic kidney disease. This list can include drugs that control blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and fluid levels. Since doctors often recommend