Chronic Kidney Disease

Chronic Kidney Disease
What is chronic kidney disease (CKD)?
Healthy kidneys remove waste from your blood. The waste then leaves your body in your urine.
The kidneys also help control blood pressure and make red blood cells.
When the kidneys are damaged, they cannot remove waste from the blood as well as they should.
This is called chronic kidney disease. Almost 20 million people in the United States have this
disease.
The most common causes of CKD are high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease. CKD can
lead to kidney failure, but early treatment can slow or prevent this. Chronic kidney disease can
also be caused by infections or urinary blockages.
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Am I at risk for CKD?
You may be at risk if someone in your family has CKD or if you have diabetes or if you have
high blood pressure. Talk to your doctor about your risk factors. It is important to diagnose CKD
early.
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What are the symptoms of CKD?
Most people don't have any symptoms early in the disease. Once the disease progresses, the
symptoms can include the following:
 Feeling tired
 Feeling weak
 Loss of appetite
 Not sleeping
 Not thinking clearly
 Swelling of the feet and ankles
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How can my doctor tell if I have CKD?
There are three simple tests that your doctor might do if he or she suspects you might have
chronic kidney disease:
 Blood pressure
 Urine albumin (a test to see how much protein is in the urine)
 Serum creatinine (a test to see how much creatinine, a waste product, is in the blood)
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I have CKD, what can I do to prevent or slow down problems?
Your doctor will talk to you about treating the problems that damaged the kidneys.
If you have high blood pressure, it is important to lower your blood pressure. Medicines called
ACE inhibitors and angiotensin-II receptor blockers can be helpful. These medicines lower blood
pressure and may help keep your kidney disease from getting worse. Exercise and a healthy diet
can also help to lower your blood pressure.
If you have diabetes, your doctor will tell you what to do to keep your blood sugar level normal.
You will probably need to change your diet, get more exercise and/or take medicine.
If you smoke, you must quit. Smoking damages the kidneys. It also raises blood pressure and
interferes with medicines used to treat high blood pressure.
Your doctor may also want you to eat less protein. Too much protein can make the kidneys work
too hard.
You will need to have regular checkups so your doctor can check how your kidneys are working
and treat problems caused by CKD.
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How else is CKD treated?
Chronic kidney disease can cause other problems. Talk with your doctor about how you can treat
these other problems. He or she may have you take medicine to treat:
 High triglyceride (say: try-gliss-er-eyed) and cholesterol levels. Triglycerides are a type
of fat. Triglyceride levels often are higher in people who have kidney disease.
 Anemia. Anemia occurs when your blood doesn't have enough hemoglobin (a protein that
carries oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body). Symptoms of anemia include
feeling tired and weak.
 Weak bones. CKD can also change the way your body uses minerals such as calcium and
phosphorus that are used to make bone. Your doctor may have you avoid certain foods to
help your body use these minerals better.
If you have chronic kidney disease, you may lose your appetite. A nutritionist can help you plan
a diet that will keep you strong.
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What happens when CKD gets worse?
Even with the right treatments, CKD can get worse over time. Your kidneys could stop working.
This is called kidney failure. If this happens, waste builds up in your body and acts like a poison.
This poisoning can cause vomiting, weakness, confusion and coma.
If your kidneys have failed, your doctor will send you for dialysis (say: die-al-uh-sis). During
dialysis, a special machine is used to filter the blood and remove waste that builds up. One kind
of dialysis has to be done in a clinic. For another kind of dialysis, the machine is so small it can
be strapped to your body while you go about your daily activities. Your doctor will talk with you
about which kind of dialysis machine you can use.

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Chronic Kidney Disease

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Chronic Kidney Disease

What is chronic kidney disease (CKD)?

Am I at risk for CKD?

What are the symptoms of CKD?

How can my doctor tell if I have CKD?

I have CKD, what can I do to prevent or slow down problems?

How else is CKD treated?

What happens when CKD gets worse?

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