Chronic
Kidney Disease
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Definition
CKD
is
defined as a decreased level
of kidney function or
the
evidence of kidney damage
for greater than three months.
Individuals
at risk for developing
kidney disease are those with
diabetes, high blood pressure or a family history of kidney
disease.
Diagnosis
CKD
is easily diagnosed by information
obtained
from simple blood (serum creatinine)
and urine (microalbumin)
tests.
Stages
of CKD
Once
CKD
is diagnosed it is
important to determine
the level of kidney function.
The
National Kidney Foundation
has
identified 5 stages
of
chronic kidney disease.
Each stage represents
a level of kidney function as defined by a creatinine
clearance.
A
creatinine
clearance (CrCl) can
be
determined from a 24
hour urine collection
and serum creatinine
or calculated utilizing the
serum creatinine.
The
5 stages are:
| Stage
1 |
CrCl |
>
90 |
| Stage
2 |
CrCl |
60-89 |
| Stage
3 |
CrCl |
30-59 |
| Stage
4 |
CrCl |
15-29 |
| Stage
5 |
CrCl |
<
15 or dialysis |
At
AKDHC,
we calculate the
creatinine clearance
for
each
individual
at every visit.
Identifying
the stage of
CKD
allows the physicians
and individuals to establish,
monitor
and evaluate
treatment
plans.
Benefits
of Early Diagnosis
and Treatment
Early
diagnosis
and treatmetof CKD can
help to maintain
adequate
kidney function,
decrease
further damage
and progression to more advanced
stages, and decrease
the risk of complications.
We
may
consider CKD to be
a "kidney disease", but
having
chronic kidney disease
increases an individual's
risk
of developing heart
disease,
anemia, and bone
disease.
Early diagnosis and
treatment can decrease these risks.
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