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Can Drinking Alcohol Cause Kidney Pain?

Drinking alcohol excessively affects a large number of human body parts, including the kidneys. Taking a little alcohol i.e. about one or two drinks and that too during special occasions does not have any serious effect. However, drinking alcohol everyday causes harm to an individual’s health. Even it worsens the condition of kidney problem and can cause kidney pain as well as kidney failure.

Can Drinking Alcohol Cause Kidney Pain?

Can Drinking Alcohol Cause Kidney Pain?

Below are the following ways in which alcohol is harmful for kidneys and causes kidney pain:

Reduces the Filtration Ability of Kidneys

Kidneys help in the filtration of various harmful substances present in the human blood. However, if human beings consume alcohol regularly, it brings changes in the function performed by kidneys and thereby, reduces their ability of filtering the blood and cause pain in kidneys.

Dehydrates the Body and Affects Kidneys Adversely

Besides this, kidneys perform many other significant jobs, especially; it maintains the appropriate amount/level of water in the body. However, when alcohol dries out or dehydrates one’s body, drying effect may adversely affect regular functions performed by organs and cells, including the functions performed by kidneys and also cause kidney pain.

Causes High Blood Pressure and in turn, affects Kidneys

Consumption of regular alcohol causes high blood pressure and high blood pressure is the prime cause associated with kidney problems leading to kidney pain. You should always keep in your mind that drinking higher than two drinks in one day may increase the chances of high blood pressure.

Causes Liver Disease and Affects Kidneys

Chronic alcohol consumption may even result in liver disease, which further affects the function of kidneys. Blood flow rate to the kidneys remain at a specific level to filter the blood in a well manner. Liver disease further leads to impairment of this balancing act, which results in damages or pain to the kidney.

How Much Amount of Alcohol is Enough?

What Exactly a Single Drink of Alcohol Indicates? When experts of the area talk about single drink, they usually talk about single 12-ounce bottle consisting of beer, 5 ounces or one glass of wine or 1.5 ounces or single shot of hard liquor. By consuming higher than three drinks in one day or higher than seven in one week for women and higher than four drinks in one day or higher than fourteen in a week consumes for men implies heavy drinking. Kidneys of individuals taking too much alcohol have to work relatively very hard than others. Regular heavy drinking doubles the risk related to kidney problems and causes kidney pain.

Why Binge Drinking is Harmful for People?

Binge drinking i.e. more than 4 to 5 drinks within a period of 2 hours may increase the alcohol presence in the blood of a person to significant dangerous levels. This may result in sudden drop in the functions of kidneys leading to acute kidney injury and pain. When this takes place, doctors perform dialysis until and unless function performed by kidneys of a person returns to its normal condition. Acute injury of kidneys may go away after some time, but in some of the cases, it results in lasting kidney damage.

What to Do for Controlling Alcohol Consumption?

A person should always consult the doctor and makes sure about his/her safety to drink alcohol. Even alcohol intake is safe; you should make sure to have it in moderation. In fact, you should essentially follow a safety guideline i.e. never drink more than one or two drinks in a day. Especially, you should strictly follow this rule if you are conceiving or you are exceeding 65 years age. In this way, you will expect to avoid kidney problems and kidney pain from taking place in the near future.

Therefore, individuals should definitely put a limit on the intake of alcohol in a day and never go for consuming alcohol by exceeding the limits mentioned here.

References:

  1. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism: “Alcohol’s Effects on the Body”

  2. Mayo Clinic: “Kidney Pain”

Team PainAssist
Team PainAssist
Written, Edited or Reviewed By: Team PainAssist, Pain Assist Inc. This article does not provide medical advice. See disclaimer
Last Modified On:September 11, 2023

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