Understanding Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD): Causes, Symptoms, and Management

What is it?

Chronic renal failure is a long-term damage to the kidneys, which impairs their ability to perform their main job- get rid of waist, toxins and excess water in the body and excrete them into the urine.
Because of this, excess fluid and waste from the blood remain in the body and may cause other health problems, such as heart disease and stroke.
Other complications of chronic renal failure can include anemia, increased occurrence of infections, unbalanced calcium and potassium blood levels, depression or lower quality of life.
If you have diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease or family history of kidney failure, you are at increased risk of developing kidney failure.
Chronic kidney disease has varying levels of seriousness. It usually gets worse over time though treatment has been shown to slow progression.

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Additional names

This group contains additional names:
- Chronic Kidney Failure
- End Stage Renal Disease
- Chronic Kidney Disease, Stage II (Mild)
- Secondary Hyperparathyroidism of Renal Origin
- Chronic Kidney Disease, Stage V
- Renal Osteodystrophy
- Chronic Kidney Disease Stage I
- Chronic Kidney Disease, Stage IV (Severe)
- Chronic Kidney Disease, Stage III (Moderate)
- Nephrogenic Diabetes Insipidus

Signs & symptoms

In most cases, kidney failure appears without any symptoms.
In other cases, you might notice your feet and ankles are getting puffy, your urine volume decreases, and you feel more tired than before.
Kidney failure can cause your blood pressure to rise as well.

Diagnosis

chronic kidney failure is diagnosed based on blood and urine tests:
- Urine test- to check for red blood cells, protein, and other unwanted substances in your urine
- Blood test- to check your kidney function

Treatment

The first line of treatment is to keep your kidneys from getting worst by using medication such as "ACE inhibitors" or "angiotensin receptor blockers".
If your kidneys have stopped working completely, you may need dialysis on a regular basis. A dialysis or hemodialysis is a renal replacement therapy, in which you will be connected to a machine that will filter all your blood from toxins and excess fluid and return it to your body.

☝️ This is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult with your physician before making any medical decision.

Learn more about our editorial process for content accuracy.

Source of Information - We analyze big data of more than 23 million patients de-identified medical records from the following sources:

National Institution of Health ∙ World Health Organization ∙ University of Illinois hospital