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The kidneys help remove waste, toxins, and surplus fluids from our bodies. Kidneys also help to regulate our blood pressure and blood chemicals as well as stimulate the formation of red blood cells and keep our bones healthy
When a kidney does not function properly, our nerves, muscles, and other tissues in the body may also not function normally.
What are the causes of kidney failure?
The two main reasons that may cause the kidneys to fail are:
The kidneys may also fail due to other reasons like:
What are the signs and symptoms of kidney failure?
In the early stages of chronic kidney disease (CKD), a patient may not show any symptoms as kidney failure does not happen overnight. It happens gradually, and the symptoms show up as it progresses.
Some of the signs include of kidney failure include:
How is a kidney failure diagnosed?
Following are the two main ways that a doctor could use to check and monitor kidney disease.
What are the five stages of kidney failure?
There are five stages of kidney failure that are determined via tests, and each stage calls for a different kind of treatment.
In stage 1, your Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate or eGFR value is 90 or more.
In this stage, you may not show any symptoms as the damage to your kidneys is rather mild, and they still work well. Presence of a protein may be detected in the urine.
In stage 2, your eGFR value would have gone down to between 60 and 89, and the damages are mild.
Your kidneys may still be functioning as normal, and no symptoms may appear. Other signs that can be detected would be protein in the urine or physical damage.
Stage 3 is when your eGFR value is between 30 and 59. In this stage, your kidneys may not work as well in filtering out waste and extra fluid out of your blood.
This waste will start building up and may begin to cause health problems such as high blood pressure and bone diseases.
Symptoms such as feeling tired and weak or swelling in the hands or feet may start appearing as well.
When the eGFR value drops between 15 and 29, it is classified as stage 4. This means that the body is building up more waste, toxins, and fluids.
As a result, the patient may also face other health problems like high blood pressure, bone and heart diseases.
He/she will likely show symptoms like swelling of your hands and feet, lower back pain, loss of appetite, and fatigue. You may also require dialysis at this stage.
Stage 5 is life-threatening as the build-up of toxins and waste is at the critical stage. Here the eGFR reading is less than 15, and your kidneys may have stopped working (or poorly working).
The build-up of toxins can make the patient very sick, and in order to survive, he/she may require dialysis or a kidney transplant.
Some of the symptoms of kidney failure include swelling of the feet, severe tiredness, loss of appetite, and nausea or vomiting.
What are the treatment options for kidney failure?
At later stages of the disease, the following are the two treatment options deployed:
Dialysis
When your kidney fails, the first and immediate option to save the patient’s life is dialysis. It is a process that removes waste and fluid from the body. There are two types of dialysis:
Kidney transplant
This is a surgical procedure that involves replacing the damaged kidney with a healthy one. Kidneys can come from a living or deceased donor. The patient may not require dialysis but will have to take anti-rejection drugs for the rest of his/her life.
What is the life expectancy for someone with chronic kidney disease (CKD) before it progresses to kidney failure?
The life expectancy of someone with kidney disease depends on the stage they have been diagnosed with, age, and gender.
Generally, a person in stages 1, 2, and 3 may live longer than those in stages 4 and 5.
In general, a 40-year-old man in stage 2 can live an additional 30 years after being diagnosed, whereas a 40-year-old woman can expect to live for another 34 years. As these stages are detected early, a person may be able to live longer with all the treatments available, as not all cases may progress beyond these early stages.
In stage 4, the kidneys are significantly damaged, but the right diet and medication or dialysis may prolong your life. Patients in stage 4 may live for another 14.5 years to 16.5 years.
According to the National Kidney Foundation, on average, once a patient in stage 5 has started dialysis, he or she may live for another 5 to 10 years. Another study also shows that patients whose eGFR value is between 15-29mL may live for another ten years on average.
Make an appointment at Gleneagles Hospital
In a nutshell, chronic kidney disease has no cure, but early detection, a healthy lifestyle, and proper treatment may prolong your life once diagnosed.
If you or a loved one is at risk of chronic kidney disease, get in touch with us for an appointment with a Nephrology specialist at your nearest Gleneagles Hospital.
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