Kidney Disease Part One Causes and

Progression

A diagnosis of kidney disease can create a lot of fear and anxiety. Thoughts of dialysis and transplants flit to through the mind. What does it mean and why does it happen? There are a lot of reasons a person can develop kidney disease. Three of the more common reasons are age, diabetes and high blood pressure.

Age: Aside from an increased risk for diabetes and high blood pressure, several other conditions can increase your risk factors. Urinary incontinence (leaking urine) can lead to bladder infections. If this isn't treated, it can spread to other areas of the urinary tract, including the kidneys. Deposits of fat, cholesterol and calcium can build up in the renal arteries, causing them to narrow. This increases blood pressure and reducing kidney function.

Different Stages of Kidney Infections

Diabetes: The kidneys are your body's filtration system. Tiny holes act a lot like a strainer, large enough for the waste products to be filtered out but to small for blood and other necessary components to pass through. Diabetes makes the kidneys work extra hard, trying to get the extra sugar out. Over time, that can them to leak protein and even blood into urine.

High Blood Pressure: Increased pressure causes the hear to work harder and it damages blood vessels throughout the body, including the kidneys. This can cause them to stop filtering properly.

Staying Fit With Chronic Kidney Diseases

Terms to Know:

CKD: Chronic Kidney Disease. There are five stages, the last being End Stage. This shows the level of kidney function.

Creatinine: This substance is a waste product from your muscles. Testing the blood to see what the levels are can give your doctor some idea of kidney function. Creatinine levels should be under 1.2 in men and 1.2 in women.

Glomerular Filtration Rate: This is the calculated result of your kidney function. Creatinine levels, your age, gender and race are part of this calculation.

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What Are the Stages of Kidney Disease?

Your glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is the best indicator of how well your kidneys are working. In 2002, the National Kidney Foundation published treatment guidelines that identified five stages of CKD based on declining GFR measurements. The guidelines recommend different actions based on the stage of kidney disease.

Increased risk of CKD. A GFR of 90 or above is considered normal. Even with a normal GFR, you may be at increased risk for developing CKD if you have diabetes, high blood pressure, or a family history of kidney disease. The risk increases with age: People over 65 are more than twice as likely to develop CKD as people between the ages of 45 and 65. African Americans also have a higher risk of developing CKD.

Stage 1: Kidney damage with normal GFR (90 or above). Kidney damage may be detected before the GFR begins to decline. In this first stage of kidney disease, the goals of treatment are to slow the progression of CKD and reduce the risk of heart and blood vessel disease.

Stage 2: Kidney damage with mild decrease in GFR (60 to 89). When kidney function starts to decline, your health care provider will estimate the progression of your CKD and continue treatment to reduce the risk of other health problems.

Stage 3: Moderate decrease in GFR (30 to 59). When CKD has advanced to this stage, anemia and bone problems become more common. Work with your health care provider to prevent or treat these complications.

Stage 4: Severe reduction in GFR (15 to 29). Continue following the treatment for complications of CKD and learn as much as you can about the treatments for kidney failure. Each treatment requires preparation.

If you choose hemodialysis, you will need to have a procedure to make a vein in your arm larger and stronger for repeated needle insertions. For peritoneal dialysis, you will need to have a catheter placed in your abdomen. Or you may want to ask family or friends to consider donating a kidney for transplantation.

Stage 5: Kidney failure (GFR less than 15). When the kidneys do not work well enough to maintain life, you will need dialysis or a kidney transplant.

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