Question 1

What is chronic kidney disease?

Accepted Answer

Chronic kidney disease is long-term damage to the kidneys, the organs responsible for producing urine. Causes of chronic kidney disease include diabetes, hypertension, kidney infections, and inflammatory diseases, medications or toxins, inherited kidney diseases, and prematurity and low birth weight.Symptoms include swelling (edema) and decreased urine output (oliguria), fatigue, weakness, chest pain, shortness of breath, bone pain, nausea and vomiting, and neurological symptoms.Diagnosis is made by laboratory tests. Chronic kidney disease is defined by laboratory tests showing evidence of kidney failure, kidney damage, or decreased kidney function for three or more months.Treatments include dietary changes and medications to treat the symptoms, slow the progression of the disease, and manage complications. End-stage chronic kidney disease (also called chronic kidney failure) requires treatment with renal replacement therapy, which includes dialysis and kidney transplant.You should make an appointment with your primary care physician to discuss your symptoms as soon as possible.

Question 2

How is chronic kidney disease diagnosed?

Accepted Answer

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is diagnosed through a combination of physical examinations, laboratory tests, and imaging studies. Here are some of the diagnostic procedures your doctor may use:Physical examination: Doctors will conduct a physical examination to check for signs of kidney damage such as edema (swelling caused by water retention) and hypertension (high blood pressure)Blood and urine tests: Blood tests and urine tests are used to measure kidney function, including the levels of creatinine and blood urea nitrogen (BUN), both of which are markers for the glomerular filtration rate (GFR). The GFR is an important measure of how much blood is flowing through your kidney's glomeruli - where the filtration occurs between the blood and the part of the kidneys that ultimately excrete urine. High levels of these substances may indicate kidney damage. Further, hyperkalemia (high levels of potassium) seen in your blood test may be a sign that not enough blood is filtering through your kidney. The kidney tightly regulates potassium (dysregulated potassium can lead to a quick death), so any changes are worrisome of kidney injury. Last, hyperphosphatemia (high levels of phosphate, above 4.5 mg/dL) can also be a sign of kidney damage.Urine albumin test: This test measures the amount of albumin (a protein) in your urine. Detection of a small amount of albumin in your urine may be an early sign of kidney problems because albumin should not be able to pass through the filtering system of the kidneys. When your kidney is functioning normally, it never wastes protein in your urine.Imaging studies: Your doctor may order imaging studies such as an ultrasound or a CT scan to visualize your kidneys and assess their size and structure to look for any abnormalities.Kidney biopsy: In some cases, your doctor may recommend a kidney biopsy to confirm a diagnosis of CKD. During the biopsy, a small sample of kidney tissue is removed and analyzed in a laboratory.Early detection and diagnosis of CKD are important to prevent or delay further kidney damage. If you suspect that you may have CKD or have been diagnosed with the condition, it's important to work closely with your healthcare provider to manage your kidney function and prevent complications.