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Nephrology

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Diabetes and high blood pressure are the most common causes of CKD. If you have diabetes or high blood pressure, working with your doctor to keep your blood sugar and blood pressure under control is the best way to prevent kidney disease.

Living a healthy lifestyle can help prevent diabetes, high blood pressure and kidney disease, or help keep them under control. Follow these tips to lower your risk for kidney disease and the problems that cause it:

  • Lose weight if you are overweight. An ideal BMI(Body Mass Index) is between 18.5 – 25.
  • Be active. Regular exercise and physical activity helps control blood sugar levels.
    Quit smoking.
  • Drinking plenty of fluids keeps you well hydrated and your kidneys working well. Your doctor will suggest fluid restrictions as appropriate if you have kidney failure.
  • Take medications as directed.
  • Keep your blood pressure below 130/90, or ask your doctor what your ideal blood pressure target is.
  • If you have diabetes, make sure your blood sugars are well controlled.
  • Eat healthy and ensure your cholesterol is in the acceptable range.
  • Eat foods lower in salt.
  • Eat more fruits and vegetables. If you have kidney failure, make sure you follow dietary restrictions as suggested by your doctor.

stages-and-risk-factors of ckd

About Chronic Kidney Disease

With chronic kidney disease or silent disease, the kidneys don’t usually fail all at once. Instead, kidney disease often progresses slowly over a period of years. This is good news because if CKD is caught early, medicines and lifestyle changes may help slow its progress and keep you feeling your best for as long as possible.

Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR)

Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is the best measure of kidney function. The GFR is the number used to figure out a person’s stage of kidney disease. A math formula using the person’s age, race, gender and their serum creatinine is used to calculate a GFR. A doctor will order a blood test to measure the serum creatinine level. Creatinine is a waste product that comes from muscle activity. When kidneys are working well they remove creatinine from the blood. As kidney function slows, blood levels of creatinine rise.

Below shows the five stages of CKD and GFR for each stage:

Risk Factors

Getting tested for chronic kidney disease (CKD)

  • If you are at risk, get regular tests to check for early kidney disease. Ask your doctor for blood or urine tests.
  • Find it early to take preventative measures to stop kidney disease from progressing.
  • If you have diabetes, get tested yearly for presence of kidney disease.

Chronic kidney disease is called a ‘silent disease’ as there are often no warning signs. It is not uncommon for people to lose up to 90 percent of their kidney function before getting any symptoms.

There are, however, some signs that may indicate reduced kidney function and it’s important to take note of them.

These can include:

  • High blood pressure
  • Changes in the amount and number of times urine is passed
  • Changes in the appearance of your urine (for example, frothy or foaming urine)
  • Blood in your urine
  • Puffiness (in your legs, ankles or around your eyes)
  • Pain in your kidney area
  • Tiredness
  • Loss of appetite
  • Difficulty in sleeping
  • Headaches
  • Itching
  • Breathlessness
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Bad breath and a metallic taste in the mouth
  • Muscle cramps

These symptoms are very general and may be caused by other illnesses. However, if they are related to kidney disease they may gradually worsen as kidney function declines.

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