What Are Signs Of Poor Kidney Function – Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a long-term condition where the kidneys function less than they should. This page provides information about CKD, its treatments and what to expect.
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) means that your kidneys are not working as well as they should. They cannot remove waste products from your body. Damage to the kidney’s filter system can also allow blood and protein to leak into the urine. This is not always visible, but can be detected with a urine test.
Contents
What Are Signs Of Poor Kidney Function
The term “chronic” means that it is a long-lasting condition. It does not necessarily mean that your kidney damage is serious, as many cases of CKD are mild and can be managed with the help of your GP and without hospital involvement.
Polycystic Kidney Disease: Causes, Symptoms And Prevention
Most are diagnosed with a blood and urine test. You may have these tests as part of a routine check-up or because you are at risk of developing CKD.
Once you are diagnosed, your doctor will determine what stage of CKD you have. This is done by measuring the amount of creatinine, a waste product that builds up in kidney disease. Your doctors can use this to estimate how well your kidneys are working. You may hear this referred to as your estimated glomerular filtration rate (e-GFR). It is based on how quickly your kidneys clean your blood and is measured in milliliters per minute
Most people with CKD stages one to three can manage the condition themselves at their GP and do not need specialist intervention from nephrologists.
CKD can slowly get worse over time, although for most people it remains stable and only a very small number of people will need kidney replacement therapy such as dialysis. It is unusual for kidney function to improve dramatically when your kidneys have been damaged, but it depends on the cause of the problem.
Chronic Kidney Disease: Causes And Risk Factors
Yes. Around 10% of the UK population has CKD. In people over 80, this increases to 20%. Usually this is mild and may not become serious. The vast majority of patients with CKD have no symptoms and do not require specialist intervention.
Anyone can get CKD. It can affect children and adults of all ages. 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 of Asian or African descent.
Your doctor will try to find out what caused the CKD in your case. For most people, your GP will take care of you, but some people will need to see a kidney specialist and have further tests. It is not always possible to find out what caused the damage.
Most people do not have symptoms related to CKD. Even when your kidneys are damaged, they can still work well enough to prevent you from having any symptoms. You can be born with only one kidney and remain healthy.
Kidney Failure Cause, Symptoms And Ayurvedic Treatment
You can still produce normal amounts of urine, even if you have CKD, but your kidneys are unable to remove the toxins from your body that they need to keep you healthy. It’s the quality rather than the quantity of urine you produce that matters!
Although you may not have any symptoms from CKD, kidney damage can still affect your health. CKD can increase your chance of having high blood pressure, heart disease or stroke. It is therefore important that you are examined regularly by either the GP or the nephrologist.
Having CKD puts you at a higher risk of developing acute kidney injury (AKI). This is a sudden drop in kidney function, often due to disease or infection. AKI can usually be treated very effectively, but it can lead to a permanent reduction in kidney function.
At the first visit, your kidney specialist will try to determine the cause of CKD. After that visit, you will have your weight and blood pressure measured every time you go, and a urine sample will be checked for signs of blood, protein or infection. You will have a blood test to measure your kidney function and look for signs of anaemia, bone health and blood acidity. You will then talk to the doctor about your symptoms and discuss what treatments are available.
Acute Kidney Failure
If your kidney function is stable and mild, you will normally be referred back to your GP. You should have annual check-ups to make sure everything is in order, but may not need any specific treatment.
You can get treatment for some of the symptoms of kidney disease, including anaemia, fluid retention and treatment to keep your bones healthy.
If you are approaching the later stages of CKD, you should start getting information about the possible treatments that are available.
Management. There are big decisions to be made and support and advice will be given to you by all the professionals on the Renal Unit to help you decide what to do.
Chronic Kidney Disease
We deliver information straight to your inbox so you can find out more about kidney health and living with kidney disease. We will also share how you and your family can get support from Kidney Care UK through grants and access to free expert advice and specialist advice.
By giving us your email address, you give us permission to send you the latest news from Kidney Care UK. Further information about how we protect and use your personal data is available in our privacy policy. If you want to change the way we communicate with you at any time, you can email [email protected] . You can unsubscribe at any time by using the link at the bottom of every email we send.
If you smoke, stop. Ask for help to stop if you need it. There are many treatments to help.
Try to control your blood pressure. Take blood pressure medication regularly and as directed by your doctor. Reduce the amount of salt in your diet to less than 6g (one teaspoon) per day.
Polycystic Kidney Disease: Signs And Symptoms
Maintain a healthy weight. If you are overweight, have diabetes or advanced kidney disease, and need advice on diet, ask your GP about what services are available in your area. They can refer you to a nutritionist for specialist advice.
Avoid anti-inflammatory medications such as ibuprofen, as they can make kidney disease worse. Ask the pharmacist every time you get a new medicine to check that it is okay for you to take it with impaired kidney function
If you are unwell, you may need to stop taking certain medicines temporarily. This is especially important if you are taking blood pressure medication. Discuss this with your GP, pharmacist or kidney specialist.
Most people have two kidneys (although 1 in 10,000 of us are born with just one kidney), and if we’re healthy, our two kidneys work by filtering waste products from the blood that are passed out of the body as urine. Our kidneys help control our blood pressure, and they make a hormone that helps create red blood cells and stops anemia. They also play a very important role in maintaining healthy bones. In addition, they keep a number of salts and chemicals at the right level in the body, such as sodium, potassium, phosphate and calcium. Any chemical imbalances can cause problems in other parts of the body, and as kidney disease can interfere with medication it is important that patients seek advice from their GP or consultant.
Constipation May Be A Risk Factor For Kidney Disease
We know how difficult it can be to be diagnosed with a long-term condition such as kidney disease. We are here to provide our total support to help improve the quality of life for anyone affected by kidney disease and have a number of ways we can help you:
Kidney disease affects different people in different ways, both physically and emotionally. It can affect many aspects of life, including personal relationships, work and social life.
Get help with the many aspects of living with kidney disease, including mental health, diet, fluid restrictions, questions to ask your doctor and benefits, on our living with kidney disease section
For most people with chronic kidney disease, there is only a mild or moderate reduction in kidney function with few symptoms. However, it can progress to a more serious stage where the kidneys no longer work – this is called kidney failure.
Chronic Kidney Disease: Clinical: Video & Anatomy
Around 10% of people with CKD can reach a stage called established kidney failure when the kidneys can no longer work well enough to keep us healthy and alive, and support from dialysis treatment or a kidney transplant is considered. Remember It’s never too late to review your choice of care, and you can even change your treatment. Always talk to your kidney care team for advice.
Kidney transplant: Transplantation is the best treatment for most patients with established kidney failure. Transplantation extends life expectancy, improves quality of life and provides freedom from dialysis.
Dialysis: Dialysis is an artificial way to remove waste products and unwanted water from your blood. You can choose between:
No dialysis: Some patients choose a path called conservative treatment rather than treatment with dialysis.
The Eye/kidney Connection
Symptoms of poor kidney function, what are the signs of poor kidney function, signs of poor kidney health, what causes poor kidney function, poor kidney function diet, poor kidney function, causes of poor kidney function, what are the symptoms of poor kidney function, signs of poor liver function, poor kidney function treatment, what are signs of decreased kidney function, signs of poor kidney function
