Kidney Damage From Medication
When a patient is diagnosed with renal failure, their doctor must review the medication they are taking to ensure any prescriptions will not cause further harm. If a patient is not advised to cease taking certain medication and this contributes towards their condition, there will be a case of medical negligence.
Diagnosing impaired kidney function
Kidney disease occurs when the kidneys are put under undue strain and become damaged. This will commonly happen with old age, but can also occur as a side-effect of other conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure.
When the kidneys become damaged they will lose function, resulting in difficulty passing urine, increased urinary frequency and pain when urinating. This should prompt doctors to perform blood and urine tests, the results of which will indicate impaired renal function.
Treating kidney disease
A patient who is diagnosed with impaired renal function should be closely monitored to check whether or not their condition is deteriorating. There is no treatment for kidney disease and it is not something that can be cured.
However, there are measures that can be put in place to prevent the progression of kidney damage. This should include providing access to a specialist renal team who will devise a care plan appropriate to you and your condition. If caught in the early stages, this might simply involve making changes to your lifestyle. If you are in the more advanced stages, you might require medication.
Cease harmful medication
In addition to an appropriate treatment plan, it is vital your GP reviews your current medication to ensure it is not harmful to you. Indeed, some drugs actually damage the kidneys, meaning it is certainly not safe to those with impaired renal function.
Some of the most common types of medication that will need to be stopped when a patient is diagnosed with kidney disease include non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as diclofenac, used to treat inflammation associated with arthritis, and diabetes medication such as metformin.
Failure to review a patient's medical history
If your GP does not advise you to cease taking harmful medication after you are diagnosed with kidney failure, or prescribes harmful medication without noting that you have a history of kidney failure, there will be grounds for a medical negligence claim.
This is because prescribing medication that will cause your condition to deteriorate is not something that should happen. Doctors should know what drugs will cause further harm to the kidneys and should be sure not to prescribe these to patients with impaired renal function.
If this is something that has happened to you or your loved, you will be entitled to make a medical negligence claim for the pain and suffering this has caused.
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