Chronic Kidney Disease

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Understanding how your kidneys work is the first step in being in control of your health. The kidneys are very important organs in our body and most people have two kidneys that are about the size of a fist. They contain millions of nephrons, which are filtering units and also have many functions. The kidneys remove waste and extra fluid from the body by making urine (National Kidney Foundation, 2013). They also control the body’s salt, potasssium and acid in the body. Hormones are also produced by the kidneys to help control blood pressure, stimulate red blood cell’s and help control the metabolism of calcium.
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is defined as having some kind of kidney abnormality, or “marker”, such as protein in urine and having decreased kidney function for three months or longer (National Kidney Foundation, 2013). The risk of CKD increases over the age of 65 (National Kidney Foundation, 2013). Some other risk factors include smoking, obesity, high cholesterol and cancer of the bladder or kidneys. The most common cause of CKD is high blood pressure and diabetes, but any disease that cause’s injury or scarring to …show more content…
Stage I is normal kidney function, where there are usually no signs and symptoms, although high blood pressure can occur. Stage II is mild kidney damage, where there may be a slight decrease in GFR(60-89), with some high blood pressure, slightly elevated creatinine and urea levels. Stage III is moderate kidney damage with symptoms similar to stage II, but slightly lower GFR (30-59). Stage IV is severe kidney disease, where your GFR will be significantly lower than normal (15-29), high potassium levels, metabolic acidosis; which can affect your breathing and your heart. High phosphate levels can occur, causing muscle spasms, cramping and irregular heart beat. Finally, stage V is end-stage kidney disease, where you will experience severe signs and symptoms (GFR of < 15) (Huether & McCance,

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