Prof. Dr. D Sree Bhushan Raju, MD, DM (AIIMS), DNB, MNAMS, MBA, FASN, FISN, FACP, FICP, FISOT, FIACM, Profesor & Head (Unit II) Dept. of Nephrology, Nizams Institute of Medical Sciences, Hyderabad, Telangana INDIA
Chronic Kidney Disease includes conditions that damage your kidneys and decrease their ability to keep you healthy by filtering wastes from your blood. If kidney disease worsens, wastes can build to high levels in your blood and make you feel sick. You may develop complications like:
Kidney disease also increases your risk of having heart and blood vessel disease. These problems may happen slowly over a long time. Early detection and treatment can often keep chronic kidney disease from getting worse. When kidney disease progresses, it may eventually lead to kidney failure, which requires dialysis or a kidney transplant to maintain life.Causes
Chronic kidney disease is usually caused by other conditions that put a strain on the kidneys. Often it's the result of a combination of different problems.
CKD can be caused by:
Symptoms
Signs and symptoms of chronic kidney disease develop over time if kidney damage progresses slowly. Loss of kidney function can cause a buildup of fluid or body waste or electrolyte problems. Depending on how severe it is, loss of kidney function can cause:
Risk Factors
A number of factors can increase the risk of developing CKD, including:
Diagnosis
As a first step toward diagnosis of kidney disease, your doctor discusses your personal and family history with you. Among other things, your doctor might ask questions about whether you've been diagnosed with high blood pressure, if you've taken a medication that might affect kidney function, if you've noticed changes in your urinary habits and whether you have family members who have kidney disease. Next, your doctor performs a physical exam, checking for signs of problems with your heart or blood vessels, and conducts a neurological exam. For kidney disease diagnosis, you might also need certain tests and procedures to determine how severe your kidney disease is (stage). Tests might include:
Management of Patients with CKD
Your treatment will depend on how severe your condition is.
The main treatments are:
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