Chronic Kidney Disease

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.

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.

Most people don't have any symptoms early in the disease. Once the disease progresses, the symptoms can include the following:

Your doctor will ask you about risk factors for kidney disease, such as diabetes and high blood pressure. Your doctor also will test your blood and urine for signs of CKD.

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 to 130/80 mm Hg or lower. 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 may need to change your diet or take medicine.

If you smoke, you must quit. Smoking worsens kidney disease and interferes with medicines used to treat high blood pressure.

Your doctor may also talk to you about your diet. You may need to watch how much protein you eat. 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.

You may need to lower your 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. Your doctor may have you take medicine to lower your triglyceride and cholesterol levels.

CKD sometimes causes 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. If you have anemia, your doctor may have you take medicine.

CKD can also change the way your body uses minerals like calcium and phosphorus. As a result, your bones can become weak. Your doctor may have you avoid certain foods or take medicine.

If you have chronic kidney disease, you may lose your appetite. A nutritionist can help you plan a diet that will keep you strong.

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. This can cause vomiting, weakness, confusion and coma.

If you have kidney failure, your doctor will send you for dialysis (say: die-al-uh-sis). In dialysis, a machine is used to take waste out of the blood. 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.