In its early stages, CKD is a silent disease — there are usually no symptoms to warn that something may be going awry with the kidneys. Some experts recommend that people with risk factors for CKD (e.g., those with diabetes, hypertension, heart disease) receive yearly kidney function screenings.[1]
CKD is diagnosed when kidney function tests show markers of serious kidney damage, e.g., decreased glomerular-filtration-rate (GFR) or creatinine, elevated ualbumin, or electrolyte abnormalities. Markers of kidney damage must persist over time to be labeled "chronic". CKD is classified based on GFR into 1 of 5 stages, where stage 1 is the least progressed disease state, and stage 5 represents kidney failure. [2] End-stage renal disease (ESRD) is defined as CKD stage 5 treated with dialysis.
References
- ^David Y Gaitonde, David L Cook, Ian M RiveraChronic Kidney Disease: Detection and EvaluationAm Fam Physician.(2017 Dec 15)
- ^Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes, and CKD Work GroupKDIGO 2012 Clinical Practice Guideline for the Evaluation and Management of Chronic Kidney Disease Chapter 1: Definition and classification of CKDKidney Int Supp.(2013 jan)