Understanding Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD): Symptoms, Stages, and Treatment Options
Asian Institute of Nephrology and Urology | July 16, 2024
Table Of Contents
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a progressive ailment that affects a person’s kidneys, impacting the kidney’s function adversely as it progresses. This is a very serious disease due to which the kidneys lose their ability to effectively filter out any waste and blood, causing a gradual buildup of waste within the body. As a result of such ineffectiveness, patients can suffer from a series of other health issues. While CKD cannot be cured, it can be treated and managed to slow down its progression. However, it's essential for the patients to have it diagnosed as soon as possible.
Symptoms and Signs Of CKD
One of the challenges of this condition is that CKD patient symptoms often emerge when the disease has progressed significantly. However, it is essential to look out for the following symptoms, as they can allow you to get an early diagnosis:
- Constant Fatigue
- Edema or swelling of legs, ankles, hands, face, and feet
- Pulmonary edema, which can be observed as shortness of breath
- Blood in urine, foamy urine, or minimized urine frequency
- High blood pressure
- Unintentional weight loss
- Nausea and vomiting
- Cramping muscles.
These symptoms are the result of waste buildup in the body, retention of fluids, and minimized production of erythropoietin. Moreover, cardiovascular health also suffers, and the heart needs to work harder, which leads to hypertension. If a person experiences these symptoms, they should consult a medical professional to get a diagnosis.
During medical tests, some of the following signs of CKD can be observed, which can help in the formation of a conclusive diagnosis of whether or not a person is suffering from this ailment.
- If there is protein present in the urine, it can be an indication of kidney damage. This condition is known as proteinuria.
- If there is blood in the urine, the condition is known as hematuria, which can indicate kidney damage.
- Some imaging tests can also be required in patients, such as CT scans or ultrasound examinations, which can help detect if there are any abnormalities in the kidneys.
- Irregular levels of electrolytes in the body, such as potassium, sodium, and calcium, can be an indication of kidney damage.
- Lastly, if tests reveal an increased level of creatinine in the urine, it is an indication of impaired kidney function.
Chronic Kidney Disease Stages
CKD progresses in 5 stages, each more serious than the previous. The distinction between the different CKD stages is drawn on the basis of the glomerular filtration rate (GFR). This rate signifies how well the kidney is functioning. Here’s how the stages progress:
- Stage 1: At this stage, the GFR range can be normal or slightly high (90 mL/min or higher), with some evidence of kidney damage. This stage can usually only be identified through tests.
- Stage 2: The chronic kidney disease stage 2 is where the GFR can be slightly decreased, and early symptoms can be experienced by the patients.
- Stage 3: At this stage, the GFR range is further decreased, usually around 30-59 mL/min. Moreover, patients can experience a lot of symptoms, like nausea, swelling, fatigue, and more.
- Stage 4: At this point, the GFR activity is significantly decreased and major symptoms can appear, and it is essential to start treatment to manage the progression.
- Stage 5: At stage 5, kidney failure occurs, and dialysis or transplantation become critical for survival.
Across stages of CKD, any of the clinical features of CKD, such as complications with the cardiovascular system, metabolic acidosis, fluid overload, anemia, and disorders with bones and mineral content, can be experienced.
In order to help manage or treat CKD, doctors can adopt any of the following chronic kidney disease medical procedure options, depending on the particular conditions of the patient. The following procedures are most commonly opted for:
- Dialysis: Through this procedure, waste accumulation and excess fluids are removed from the body. The patient can receive either hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis.
- Transplantation: A kidney transplant helps patients by replacing a damaged kidney with a properly functioning one.
- Medications: Medications are often provided at early stages as well to help manage related issues like blood pressure, diabetes, anemia, and cholesterol.
Conclusion
Chronic kidney disease is a very challenging ailment that can impact a person’s overall health and quality of life. At AINU, we specialize in identifying distressing symptoms that indicate kidney damage and putting you on the path to effective management. Through early detection, it is possible to slow down CKD’s progression and increase good quality of life quality. Reach out to us to learn more about CKD or get expert help with its treatment.
FAQs
CKD, or Chronic Kidney Disease in medical terms, refers to a condition wherein the kidney loses its function over a period of time. A patient suffering from this issue can face significant health complications resulting from reducing the ability of the kidney to filter waste and fluids.
While CKD cannot be cured, there are treatment options that can be used to manage its progression and slightly improve your quality of life. Treatment options can vary based on the symptoms and how advanced the disease is in a person. Lifestyle changes are a preliminary necessity.
Stage 4 CKD can be very tricky to manage, as it presents a lot of complications. However, to manage it, steps like stringent blood pressure control, taking prescribed medications, modifying diets, and continuously monitoring kidney function are helpful. Apart from this, certain patients might also need to get dialysis or a kidney transplant.
The latest treatment for CKD involves the prescription of newly developed medications like SGLT2 inhibitors. These medications are known to have shown significant advantages in slowing the progression of the disease and boosting cardiovascular health. These medications show best results when used along with treatments like dialysis and transplants in advanced cases.
