Kidney Disease

HOW IS KIDNEY DISEASE DIAGNOSED?

Kidney disease is usually identified by a routine blood or urine test. Sometimes it can be difficult to diagnose and more information such as further blood testing, ultrasound or CT scan or even a kidney biopsy may be required. Unfortunately, symptoms of kidney failure are unreliable and cannot be used to tell if someone has a kidney problem.

IF I AM MAKING NORMAL AMOUNTS OF URINE, ARE MY KIDNEYS OK?

Not necessarily. The kidneys are very powerful organs and can make urine even at low levels of function. Don't rely on your urine volume to tell you if your kidneys are healthy.

WHAT IS CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE?

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is a term used to describe a gradual loss of kidney function over time. In the United States, two-thirds of the cases of CKD are due to diabetes and high blood pressure. You may hear your doctor refer to CKD by a "stage". These stages are 1-5, with stage 5 being the weakest kidney function. We are only communicating how fast the kidneys filter the blood. We know that people who are in the same stage have similar health concerns even if their CKD is caused by different conditions. Their kidneys may be performing all, some or none of their functions well depending on the stage.