Kidney Disease

What is Kidney Disease?

“Kidney disease” means your kidneys aren't working properly and are beginning to lose their function. “Chronic kidney disease (CKD),” worsens over time (for at least 3 months). 

Kidney disease and chronic kidney disease (CKD) mean your kidneys are damaged and losing their ability to keep you healthy by filtering your blood and are having a hard time doing all their important jobs. In the early stages of the disease, most people do not have symptoms. But as chronic kidney disease gets worse, wastes can build up in your blood and make you feel sick. You may develop other problems, like high blood pressure, anemia, weak bones, poor nutritional health, and nerve damage. Because kidneys are vital to so many of the body’s functions, kidney disease also increases your risk of having heart and blood vessel disease. While these problems may happen slowly and without symptoms, they can lead to kidney failure, which can appear without warning. Once kidneys fail, dialysis or a kidney transplant is needed to stay alive. Kidney failure is also called kidney failure with replacement therapy (KFRT).

Kidney disease becomes “chronic” (CKD) when kidney function decreases over time (3+ months) and can lead to kidney failure (ESKD). Not all people with CKD will have kidney failure, but it can worsen without treatment. There is no cure, but kidney damage and be slowed or even stopped with treatment. Dialysis and transplantation are the treatments for kidney failure.

Diabetes is the most common cause of kidney disease, and about 1 in 3 adults with diabetes has kidney disease. Diabetes and hypertension cause or contribute to 2 of 3 new cases of kidney failure.

Anyone can develop CKD—at any age. However, some people are at a higher risk than others. In addition to diabetes and high blood pressure (hypertension), common risk factors include: heart disease and/or heart failure, obesity, age 60+, a family history of CKD or kidney failure, inherited kidney disorders, past damage to the kidneys/AKI (acute kidney injury), smoking and/or use of tobacco products, history of overusing NSAID (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) pain relievers or other over-the-counter (OTC) products, and other factors. Exposure to certain environmental chemicals has also been recently highlighted as a risk factor.

Kidney disease is medically classified into five stages, based on the presence of kidney damage and level of kidney function (glomerular filtration rate [GFR]), ranging from early-stage (stage 1) to kidney failure (stage 5, dialysis/transplant needed). It is best to diagnose kidney disease at its earliest stages before more irreversible damage occurs.

What Causes Kidney Disease?

The main cause of kidney disease is diabetes, followed by high blood pressure.