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.