Preventing Or Slowing Down The Progression Of Chronic Kidney Disease
There are ways to stop chronic kidney disease becoming any worse or to slow down any progression. You should have checks every now and then by your GP or practice nurse to monitor your kidney function – the eGFR test. They will also give you treatment and advice on how to prevent or slow down the progression of CKD. This usually includes:
- Blood pressure control. The most important treatment to prevent or delay the progression of chronic kidney disease, whatever the underlying cause, is to keep your blood pressure well controlled. Most people with CKD will require medication to control their blood pressure. Depending on the amount of albumin in your urine, your doctor may recommend a target blood pressure level to aim for of below 140/90 mm Hg or 130/80 mm Hg, and even lower in some circumstances. For children and young people with CKD and high levels of albumin in the urine, blood pressure should be kept less than average for their height.
- Review of your medication. Certain medicines can affect the kidneys as a side-effect which can make CKD worse. For example, if you have CKD you should not take anti-inflammatory medicines unless advised to by a doctor. You may also need to adjust the dose of certain medicines that you may take if your CKD gets worse.
- Diet. if you have more advanced CKD then you will need to follow a special diet. See the separate leaflet called Diet in Chronic Kidney Disease.
Ordering Takeout With Confidence
Many restaurants are now closed to enforce social distancing, but take-out is still available from many eateries. Here are some ideas for making ordering take-out easy even with your special kidney diet. Start by knowing your diet well and asking your dietitian for any tips or advice. If you have sodium, potassium, phosphorus, or protein restrictions, this information will help you make good decisions based on your specific dietary needs.
Plan ahead
Choose a restaurant where it will be easiest to select foods best suited for your diet. Restaurants where food is made to order are the best choice.
Making your selections
Look over the menu carefully. Ask for more details about items you do not know about. When you place your order explain that you are following a special diet. Make special requests about the way your food is prepared as follows:
Entrées:
Side dishes:
- If you need to restrict potassium, choose starches and vegetables that are lower in potassium, such as rice, noodles and green beans.
- If your meal does not include a good choice for your diet, request a substitute.
- Ask that sauces be omitted or served in a separate container.
Stay safe
What Can I Expect If I Have Kidney Disease
If you have kidney disease you can still live a productive home and work life and enjoy time with your family and friends. To have the best outcome possible, its important for you to become an active member of your treatment team.
Early detection and appropriate treatment are important in slowing the disease process, with the goal of preventing or delaying kidney failure. You will need to keep your medical appointments, take your medications as prescribed, stick to a healthy diet and monitor your blood pressure and blood sugar.
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Stages Of Chronic Kidney Disease
The word chronic in CKD means that the kidney disease lasts a long time and does not disappear completely. The term kidney function is used to describe how well the kidneys work especially how they clean blood and make urine.
CKD used to be called chronic renal failure . This is because, in the final stage of CKD, the kidneys have failed.
What Is Kidney Failure
Healthy kidneys filter the blood, removing waste and excess salt and water. They also help the body to produce red blood cells, control blood pressure, and maintain strong bones. Kidney failure means kidneys are damaged and unable to perform their usual functions. Kidney failure means:
- Kidney function has dropped below 15 percent of normal
- Kidneys are not functioning well enough on their own for a person to survive
There is no cure for kidney failure, but treatment can help people live longer.
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How Can Doctors Tell If I Have Ckd
Many people with Stage 1 CKD do not have any symptoms. However, if you have a family history of kidney disease, or a health condition that can damage your kidneys, such as diabetes or high blood pressure, your doctor may test the health of your kidneys.
To find out if you have CKD, doctors will do tests, such as:
- Urine tests
- eGFR blood tests
- Blood pressure checks
- Imaging tests to take detailed pictures of the inside of your body, such as ultrasound, CT scan or MRI
Why Do People Have A Single Kidney
There are three main reasons why a person may have only one kidney:
- A person may be born with only one kidney. This condition is called renal agenesis. Another condition, which is called kidney dysplasia, causes a person to be born with two kidneys, but only one of them works. Most people who are born without a kidney lead normal, healthy lives.
- A person may have had one kidney removed during an operation in order to treat an injury or a disease like cancer.
- A person may have donated one kidney to a person who needed a kidney transplant.
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Albuminuria: The Urine Albumin: Creatinine Ratio
A simple urine test called the urine Albumin:Creatinine ratio is also performed to look for signs that protein is leaking into the urine . This is an important sign of kidney damage. The ACR is used to calculate the A stage of CKD .
There are three recognised stages of albuminuria:
- A1 normal to mildly increased urine protein levels
- A2 moderately increased urine protein levels
- A3 severely increased urine protein levels
Combining your ACR ratio with your eGFR can help doctors try to predict whether your kidney disease is likely to progress and whether you are more likely to develop complications such as heart and circulatory problems. Other factors are also taken into account, e.g. age. In general, the higher the A stage, the more likely it is that you will benefit from blood pressure-lowering treatment.
What Is Stage 2 Ckd
In Stage 2 CKD, your eGFR has gone down to between 60 and 89. However, your kidneys are mostly still able to work as they should to filter your blood, which is why you may not notice any effects on your health. While the damage to your kidneys may not be reversible, there is a lot you can do to slow down the damage to your kidneys. You may or may not also have protein in your urine.
In Stage 2 CKD, making healthy choices to slow down the damage to your kidneys is important. If your kidney damage gets worse, you may move to the later stages of CKD.
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Transition To Adult Services
When your child reaches adolescence, he or she will prepare to transfer from paediatric services to adult services. The timing is different for each person though many will start being looked after by an adult nephrology unit by the time they are over 18 years old.
Many units have a transition programme, which starts some years before the transfer, to help adolescents to prepare.
What Are The Symptoms Of Stage 1 Ckd
Most people with Stage 1 CKD do not have any symptoms that affect their health, which is why many people do not know they have it. However, there are some signs of Stage 1 CKD people may notice themselves, or that doctors may notice when testing for kidney damage or other health conditions.
Signs and symptoms of Stage 1 CKD include:
- Blood in your urine
- Kidney damage that shows up in an ultrasound, CT scan, MRI, or kidney biopsy
At stage 1 CKD, you may not notice any effects on your health. While the damage to your kidneys may not be reversible, there is a lot you can do at this stage to keep your kidneys working well for as long as possible.
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Kidney Disease In Dogs Is Serious So Read Up And Talk To Your Vet
When it comes to kidney disease, there may be various causes. Dogs diagnosed with chronic kidney failure will require intensive care and therapy. And unfortunately, chronic kidney failure is an incurable disease. Sadly, once diagnosed dogs may only have a few months to a year.
But, in general, acute kidney disease, if treated quickly, can curable. Talk to your veterinarian if youre concerned about canine kidney failure.
Got a question about kidney failure in dogs? Or kidney disease in cats? Ask us in the comments below!
What Are The Stages Of Ckd
Your childs stage of CKD is primarily determined by her glomerular filtration rate a measurement of how effectively their kidneys are filtering blood. According to the National Kidney Foundation, there are five stages of chronic kidney disease:
- Stage 1: Kidney damage with normal or increased GFR
- Stage 2: Kidney damage with mild decreased GFR
- Stage 3: Moderate decreased GFR
- Stage 4: Severe increased GFR
- Stage 5: Kidney failure
Keep in mind that this chart is a guide, and every child may experience symptoms differently. Since chronic kidney disease is progressive, many who have it will eventually reach Stage 5, but there are things we can do to slow the progression and minimize complications.
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Kidney Disease: 11 Ways It Can Affect Your Skin
If you have kidney disease, you wont see early warning signs on your skin. However, as the disease progresses, you may develop one or more of the following:
Extremely dry skin. Skin can become so dry that it:
Itchy skin. Extremely itchy skin is a common symptom of advanced kidney disease. The itch can range from irritating to life-disrupting. Your skin may itch all the time.
Some people have itch on one area of their skin. The itch can also spread across most of your body.
Scratch marks and other signs of scratching. When you scratch often, it affects your skin. You can develop:
Color changes to your skin. When the kidneys stop working as they should, toxins build up in your body. This build-up can cause color changes to the skin. You may see any of the following:
Nail changes. Kidney disease can affect the appearance of your fingernails, toenails, or both. People who have advanced kidney disease can develop:
Why Its Important To Know The Signs Of Kidney Disease In Dogs
Canine kidney disease can be a dangerous disease, which can take the life of your pet.
Once you notice your dog is showing mild signs such as increased thirst and increased urination, then it is important to take them to the vet so that you can get a blood test and urinalysis done.
Renal failure in dogs is a progressive disease a dog may be asymptomatic during stage 1 or stage 2 of kidney failure. So, most pet parents often dont catch kidney failure until their beloved pooch has reached stage 3 or stage 4.
Once your dog has reached their senior age its important to consider doing regular blood tests in order to catch early kidney disease.
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What If I Was Born With Only One Working Kidney
In general, most people with a single, healthy kidney have few problems. However, some long term problems have been seen in some people.
In some people who were born with a single kidney, or had a kidney removed during childhood, there is a chance of some slight loss in kidney function later in life. This usually takes 25 years or more to happen. There may also be a chance of having high blood pressure later in life. However, the loss in kidney function is usually very mild, and life span is normal. Most people with one kidney live healthy, normal lives with few problems.
In other words, one healthy kidney can work as well as two.
Glomerular Filtration Rate And Stages
Your doctor can measure your childs kidney function by measuring the glomerular filtration rate . This helps to work out the stage of CKD.
Inside the kidneys are many tiny filters called glomeruli, which help clean blood. The GFR is the volume of blood that filters through the glomeruli. If the GFR is lower than normal, less blood is passing through the glomeruli. The kidneys are not working as well as normal.
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What Is The Life Expectancy With Stage 4 Kidney Disease Symptoms Treatment And Diet
Written byMohan GarikiparithiPublished onNovember 23, 2017
Stage 4 kidney disease is considered an advanced from of chronic kidney disease that is characterized by a severe decrease in its ability to perform its function. At this point, the condition has reached a life-threatening territory and will require significant treatment to increase survival.
Our kidneys are two of the most important organs in the body and are responsible for removing waste and excess fluid. Most of these discarded substances are considered toxic and would lead to several abnormalities if not promptly removed.
Suffering from a damaged kidney is a major problem in the United States, with more than 30 million Americans having chronic kidney disease. Kidney function is measured based on its glomerular filtration rate , which is the process by which the kidneys filter blood and is calculated by using a mathematical formula that compares a persons size, age, sex, and race to serum creatinine levels.
The following are stages of kidney disease and their corresponding GFR:
- Stage 1 with normal or high GFR
- Stage 2 Mild CKD
- Stage 3A Moderate CKD
- Stage 3B Moderate CKD
- Stage 4 Severe CKD
- Stage 5 End Stage CKD (GFR
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What Are The Symptoms Of Ckd
Most people may not have any severe symptoms until their kidney disease is advanced. However, you may notice that you:
The two main causes of chronic kidney disease are diabetes and high blood pressure, which are responsible for up to two-thirds of the cases. Diabetes happens when your blood sugar is too high, causing damage to many organs in your body, including the kidneys and heart, as well as blood vessels, nerves and eyes. High blood pressure, or hypertension, occurs when the pressure of your blood against the walls of your blood vessels increases. If uncontrolled, or poorly controlled, high blood pressure can be a leading cause of heart attacks, strokes and chronic kidney disease. Also, chronic kidney disease can cause high blood pressure.
Other conditions that affect the kidneys are:
- feel more tired and have less energy
- have trouble concentrating
- 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. However, some people are more likely than others to develop kidney disease. You may have an increased risk for kidney disease if you:
- have diabetes
- have a family history of kidney failure
- are older
- belong to a population group that has a high rate of diabetes or high blood pressure, such as African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian, Pacific Islanders, and American Indians.
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How Do Doctors Treat Stage 2 Ckd
Your doctor will work with you to slow down kidney damage and to keep your kidneys working well for as long as possible.
Your doctor can help you:
- Control your blood sugar if you have diabetes.
- Keep your blood pressure in a healthy range .
If you do not have a nephrologist , talk to your regular doctor about finding one. You and your nephrologist can work together to make a treatment plan just for you.
Around 10% Of People In The Uk Have Ckd
Who gets CKD?
Anyone can get CKD. It can affect children and adults of any age. Some people are born with it and some develop it as they get older. It can run in some families and is more common in people from Asian or African backgrounds.
What can increase the risk of developing CKD?
There are lots of causes of CKD. The most common causes include:
- Diabetes
- Inflammation within the kidneys
- Blockages to the flow of urine such as prostate problems or cancers in the bladder
- Certain medications such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs which include ibuprofen or diclofenac among others
- Family history of kidney disease which may include inherited diseases.
Your doctor will try to find out what has caused CKD in your case. For the majority of people, your GP will look after you but some people will need to see a kidney specialist and have further tests. It is not always possible to find out what has caused the damage.
The vast majority of patients with CKD do not have any symptoms and do not need specialist input.
What are the symptoms of CKD?
Most people do not have symptoms related to CKD. Even when your kidneys are damaged, they can still work well enough to prevent you having any symptoms. You can be born with just the one kidney and remain healthy.
Symptoms may only be noticeable with more advanced kidney disease. These include:
- Generally feeling ill, lack of interest in everyday activities and loss of concentration
- Tiredness, low energy levels
- Muscle cramps
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