Tina Turner died at home on Wednesday evening, May 24, and millions of fans around the world are mourning her death. The singer's representatives confirmed her cause of death was due to natural causes.
The 83-year-old’s death came after decades of fighting kidney disease, which at one point left the superstar ready to end her life. As reported by The Mirror, a transplant from husband Erwin Bach was not enough and she spent her last months feeling "nauseous and dizzy" and was “scared a lot”.
The legendary singer spoke out about her awful struggle with kidney disease before she passed. Below is a closer look at chronic kidney disease and what happened to Tina.
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What is it caused by?
Kidney disease can range from a mild condition with few symptoms to a very serious one where the organ fails completely, known as kidney failure. People with the condition are also at risk of developing other serious problems, including those affecting the heart and blood vessels.
There are usually no symptoms of the silent killer in the early stages and it may only be diagnosed from tests for other conditions. In more advanced stages symptoms can include tiredness, swollen ankles, feet or hands, shortness of breath, nausea or blood in urine.
According to the NHS, chronic kidney disease is usually caused by other conditions putting a strain on the organs and often a result of a combination of problems.
- High blood pressure
- Diabetes
- High cholesterol
- Kidney infections
- Glomerulonephritis (kidney inflammation)
- Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease – an inherited condition where growths called cysts develop in the kidneys
- Blockages in the flow of urine – for example, from kidney stones that keep coming back, or an enlarged prostate
- Long-term, regular use of certain medicines – such as lithium and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).
What treatments are available?
There is no cure but treatment can help relieve symptoms and stop it getting worse.
These depend on the severity but the main treatments include making changes to people’s lifestyles, medicine to control problems such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol or dialysis. In advanced cases, people may require a kidney transplant.
What happened to Tina Turner?
Tina Turner revealed in a telling interview her kidneys were the “victims” of her denying the fact her hypertension required therapy with conventional medicine. She said: “I put myself at great danger by refusing to accept the reality I required daily medication for the rest of my life.
“I considered my body an invulnerable and indestructible bastion for way too long. I have been suffering from hypertension for a long time, got diagnosed in 1978, but didn’t care much about it.
“I can’t remember ever getting an explanation about what high blood pressure means or how it affects the body. I considered high blood pressure my normal.
“Hence, I didn’t really try to control it. In 1985 a doctor gave me a prescription for pills of which I was supposed to take one a day, and that was it. I didn’t give it any more thought.
“After suffering a stroke in 2009 because of my poorly controlled hypertension I struggled to get back up on my feet. This is when I first learned that my kidneys didn’t work that well anymore. They had already lost 35% of their function.”
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