Chronic Kidney Disease: Frequently Asked Questions
What is Chronic Kidney Disease?
Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is a phrase that embraces the majority of renal conditions. It can be thought of as a thief that works quietly at night, without creating any disturbance. CKD is quite often found by accident when doctor carries out tests to investigate something else - say a routine employment medical screening and then discovers signs of kidney disease at early or moderate stage. Read more on Kidney Research UK website
Source: www.worldkidneyday.org.uk
Chronic kidney disease is permanent kidney damage due to injury or disease. CKD ranges from mild to severe. If
CKD reaches the point of kidney failure, dialysis or a kidney transplant is needed to support life. Since
CKD may worsen over time, early diagnosis and treatment can help slow down the damage, depending on the cause of the problem (see
Chronic Kidney Disease: What You Can Do ). If your doctor says you have a kidney problem, find out the medical name (and spelling) for your diagnosis, if you can. ...
Source: www.lifeoptions.org
Chronic kidney disease includes any condition that damages your kidneys and decreases their ability to keep you healthy by doing the jobs listed. The way your kidney doctor knows if you have kidney disease and the extent of your kidney disease is by doing blood tests, urine tests, and by doing a kidney ultrasound. As kidney disease progresses toxic wastes can build to high levels in your blood and make you feel sick. ...
Source: premierrenalcareohio.com
Having chronic kidney disease means that for some time your kidneys have not been working the way they should. Your kidneys have the important job of filtering your blood. They remove waste products and extra fluid and flush them from your body as urine. When your kidneys do not work right, wastes build up in your blood and make you sick. Chronic kidney disease may seem to have come on suddenly. But it has been happening bit by bit for many years as a result of damage to your kidneys. ...
Source: www.svcmc.org
Having chronic kidney disease means that for some time your kidneys have not been working the way they should. Your kidneys have the important job of filtering your blood. They remove waste products and extra fluid and flush them from your body as urine. When your kidneys do not work right, wastes build up in your blood and make you sick. Chronic kidney disease may seem to have come on suddenly. But it has been happening bit by bit for many years as a result of damage to your kidneys. ...
Source: www.med.nyu.edu
What are the Warning Signs of Chronic Kidney Disease?
High blood pressure. Blood and/or protein in the urine. A creatinine blood test greater than 1.2 for women and 1.4 for men. (Creatinine is a waste product removed from the blood by healthy kidneys. In kidney diseases, creatinine levels in the blood may increase. Creatinine levels vary with age, race and body size. A lower value may be a sign of kidney disease in children) More frequent urination, particularly at night. Difficult or painful urination. Puffiness around eyes, swelling of hands and feet, especially in children.
Source: www.nkfm.org
What are the Leading Causes of Chronic Kidney Disease?
Diabetes is the leading cause of chronic kidney failure; diabetes accounts for approximately one third of new cases of chronic kidney failure in the United States each year. Uncontrolled or poorly controlled high blood pressure is the second leading cause of chronic kidney failure in the United States; it accounts for about 30 percent of all cases.
Source: www.nkfm.org
What are the symptoms of chronic kidney disease?
Knowing the symptoms of kidney disease can help people detect it early enough to get treatment. Symptoms can include: • Changes in urination-making more or less urine than usual, feeling pressure when urinating, changes in the color of urine, foamy or bubbly urine, or having to get up at night to urinate. • Swelling of the feet, ankles, hands, or face-fluid the kidneys can't remove may stay in the tissues. ...
Source: www.kidney.mb.ca
Unlike heart disease which causes chest pain or gastrointestinal disease which causes belly pain, kidney disease may not cause any symptoms until advanced. Once the kidney disease progresses and wastes begin to build in your blood stream, the following symptoms may occur: Often no symptoms in the earlier stages (I-III) Feeling tired or weak Headaches Itching Nausea and Vomiting Loss of appetite Swelling Shortness of Breath A metallic taste in your mouth Darkening of the skin Trouble concentrating Change in urination
Source: premierrenalcareohio.com
What is chronic kidney disease (CKD)?
Chronic kidney disease includes conditions that damage your kidneys and decrease their ability to keep you healthy by doing the jobs listed. If kidney disease gets worse, wastes can build to high levels in your blood and make you feel sick. You may develop complications like high blood pressure, anemia (low blood count), weak bones, poor nutritional health and nerve damage. Also, kidney disease increases your risk of having heart and blood vessel disease. ...
Source: kidneyspecialists.org
CKD is when your kidneys are not functioning properly. There are five levels of CKD ranging from early stages to most severe. Undiagnosed chronic kidney disease can lead to: collection of water in legs or in lungs organ damage weak bones digestive tract disorders heart rhythm disturbances high blood pressure anemia premature death
Source: www.mercykidneyscore.com
Chronic kidney disease includes conditions that damage your kidneys and decrease their ability to keep you healthy by doing the jobs listed. If kidney disease gets worse, wastes can build to high levels in your blood and make you feel sick. You may develop complications like high blood pressure, anemia (low blood count), weak bones, poor nutritional health and nerve damage. Also, kidney disease increases your risk of having heart and blood vessel disease. These problems may happen slowly over a long period of time. ...
Source: www.nkfk.org
Chronic kidney disease is permanent kidney damage due to injury or disease. CKD ranges from mild, to severe. If CKD reaches the point of kidney failure, dialysis or a kidney transplant is needed to support life. Since CKD may worsen over time, early diagnosis and treatment can help slow down the damage, depending on the cause of the problem.
Source: www.ssn-sa.com
CKD is damage to the kidneys which decreases their ability to perform vital functions and keep the body healthy. CKD can cause wastes to build up in blood with life-threatening consequences. People with CKD may develop complications like high blood pressure, anemia (low blood count), weak bones, poor nutritional health and nerve damage.
Source: www.kidneycarepartners.org
What are the symptoms of chronic kidney disease ("CKD")?
Most people may not have any severe symptoms until their kidney disease is advanced. However, you may notice that you: feel more tired and have less energy have trouble concentrating have a poor appetite have trouble sleeping have muscle cramping at night have swollen feet and ankles have puffiness around your eyes, especially in the morning have dry, itchy skin need to urinate more often, especially at night. Anyone can get chronic kidney disease at any age. ...
Source: www.elahimd.com
How Many People are Affected by Chronic Kidney Disease?
More than 20 million Americans have diseases of the kidney and urinary tract. More than 90,000 die each year because of these diseases. About 200,000 Americans suffer from chronic kidney failure and need dialysis to stay alive. In addition, experts estimate that by the year 2010, the number of new people diagnosed with chronic kidney disease is expected to double.
Source: www.nkfm.org
How can Chronic Kidney Disease be discovered in good time?
Because early CKD is usually silent, it has to be specifically looked for in patients at increased risk (see below). A small proportion of people may have symptoms such as recurrent urinary infections, marked ankle swelling or blood in the urine. These symptoms should be drawn to your GPs attention.
Source: www.worldkidneyday.org.uk
What increases the risk of having chronic kidney disease?
Diabetes Mellitus Hypertension Race: African-American, Hispanic, Pacific Islander, and Native Americans Age > 65 Relative with CKD
Source: premierrenalcareohio.com
Who is at risk for chronic kidney disease?
Diabetics Patients with hypertension Relatives of patients with kidney disease Patients of older age Patients of certain ethnicities 3. What are predictors of accelerated progression of chronic kidney disease? Greater proteinuria Higher blood pressure Black race Lower serum HDL cholesterol Lower levels of serum transferring
Source: www.texasrenalcoalition.org
How many people have chronic kidney disease?
CKD affects 11% of adults in the U.S.
Source: www.texasrenalcoalition.org
What can be done about Chronic Kidney Disease?
What can I do to help myself? Look after your blood vessels: don’t smoke and avoid getting overweight. Ask your GP about the need for regular monitoring of blood pressure and cholesterol. If you are diabetic ensure that your sugar control, cholesterol, blood pressure and urine are regularly checked. It’s down to you. If you are on treatment for high blood pressure, ensure your kidneys are checked out with regular blood and urine testing at your GP surgery.
Source: www.worldkidneyday.org.uk
How can a special diet help patients with chronic kidney disease?
A special diet can help to control the buildup of waste products and fluid in your blood and to decrease the workload of your kidneys. This diet may also help to slow down the loss of kidney function. The main goal of the diet is to keep you healthy. Your doctor may recommend a special diet, depending on the stage of your disease. If and when this diet is ordered for you, your doctor may want you to see a renal dietitian, who has special training in diet for kidney disease.
Source: www.snhmc.org
What medications should be avoided in patients with chronic kidney disease?
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (Chronic, repeated, heavy use) b. Metformin (if creat > 1.5-2.0)
Source: www.texasrenalcoalition.org
What other risk factors are associated with chronic kidney disease?
Some environmental exposure (lead) Smoking Diabetes mellitus Obesity
Source: www.texasrenalcoalition.org
How long can I live with chronic kidney disease?
Many people think that if their kidneys fail, they will die immediately. This used to be true 40 years ago when there were not enough dialysis machines to go around and medical knowledge about kidney disease was limited. It is no longer true today. How long you can live with CKD depends on your age, other health problems, and how involved you become in your care. Some people with early CKD never have kidney failure. Others reach kidney failure and live for decades with dialysis or kidney transplants. ...
Source: www.ssn-sa.com
Where can I find more information about chronic kidney disease?
Sources Back to the Top 10 Most common Symptoms of Kidney Disease Chronic Kidney Disease Kidney Transplant
Source: www.ssn-sa.com
Where can I find out more information about chronic kidney disease?
Asking questions and getting them answered—by a healthcare professional or in a book or other reliable source—is a key part of doing well with any chronic disease. Ask your healthcare team to teach you about your condition and to give you any information they have. Never feel shy about coming to a clinic visit with a list of questions—and write down the answers. At this Life Options website, we have a long list of kidney links and many booklets and fact sheets about kidney disease that you can read or download. ...
Source: www.lifeoptions.org
How is chronic kidney disease diagnosed?
Your doctor will do blood and urine tests to help find out how well your kidneys are working. These tests can show signs of kidney disease and anemia . (You can get anemia from having damaged kidneys. ) You may have other tests to help rule out other problems that could cause your symptoms. Your doctor will ask questions about any past kidney problems, whether you have a family history of kidney disease, and what medicines you take—both prescription and over-the-counter drugs. ...
Source: www.svcmc.org
What causes chronic kidney disease?
Chronic kidney disease is caused by damage to the kidneys. By far the most common causes of this damage are: High blood pressure . High blood sugar ( diabetes ). Other things that can lead to chronic kidney disease include: Kidney diseases and infections, such as polycystic kidney disease , pyelonephritis, and glomerulonephritis , or a kidney problem you were born with. A narrowed or blocked renal artery. The renal artery carries blood to the kidneys. ...
Source: www.svcmc.org
Chronic kidney disease is caused by damage to the kidneys. The most common causes of this damage are: High blood pressure . High blood sugar ( diabetes ). Other things that can lead to chronic kidney disease include: Kidney diseases and infections, such as polycystic kidney disease , pyelonephritis, and glomerulonephritis , or a kidney problem you were born with. A narrowed or blocked renal artery. The renal artery carries blood to the kidneys. ...
Source: www.med.nyu.edu
