Chronic kidney disease, also known as chronic kidney failure, describes the slow loss of kidney function. There are five stages of chronic kidney disease as described below.
• Stage 1 and 2 are the mildest stages and indicate that the kidney is not working at full capacity.
• Stage 3 occurs when the kidney function is at 50%, causing symptoms such as high blood pressure or bone problems.
• Stage 4 is when severe kidney damage has occurred. At this point, the treatment plan is to preserve function while managing the symptoms.
• Stage 5 is kidney failure where the kidney is unable to filter and remove waste, electrolytes and excess fluid on …show more content…
There are two common ways.
o In hemodialysis, blood is passed through a machine that filters waste and excess fluids.
o In peritoneal dialysis, your abdomen is filled with a thin tube (a catheter) with dialysis fluid that absorbs waste and excess fluids. After a period of time, this fluid is then drained, carrying the waste with it.
• A kidney transplant involves a surgical procedure to place a healthy kidney from a donor (living or deceased) into your body. Lifelong medication will need to be taken to prevent your body from rejecting the donor kidney. The donor kidney will take over the functions of your own kidneys.
A third option is to treat kidney failure conservatively, addressing the symptoms as they develop. Your life expectancy is generally only a few months.
Part of maintaining or preserving your kidney function is to understand how your condition changes over time and actively taking steps to prevent further deterioration.
• Monitor your test results particularly for the o ACR (Albumin to Creatinine Ratio) is a urine test to show how much albumin (a type of protein) is in your urine. Too much albumin is an indicator of early kidney