Types of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and how well they work are broken down into five stages. What kind of CKD do you have? The number that tells you is your estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). It tells you how well your kidneys clean your blood. At every step, it’s important to take care of your health and slow down the progression of CKD.
5 Stages Of Kidney Disease
KID gets worse over time, so your kidneys might not work as well after a while. Sometimes, though, being told that your CKD is in its early stages just means that it will get worse. You can keep your kidneys healthy with the help of your doctor if you know what kind of CKD you have.
Stage 1: eGFR Of 90 Or More
What It Means:
If Your Kidneys Work Well, Get Hurt,
Possible Signs And Symptoms:
The legs are getting swollen, getting UTIs, and pee tests that don’t show anything is wrong.
What You Can Do:
- See your doctor often to keep an eye on your health. Don’t be afraid to ask questions or let them know if you notice any strange signs. Find out right now what your eGFR is by asking your doctor.
- Put down the stress, eat well, work out, and get enough sleep if you want to live a healthy life.
- For all of your medicines, follow the directions on the bottle. Before taking any over-the-counter medicines, talk to your doctor.
Stage 2: eGFR 60–89
What It Means:
A Slight Drop In Kidney Function
Possible Signs And Symptoms:
Urine issues, knee pain, high blood pressure, and tests that don’t seem to be right
What You Can Do:
- To keep an eye on your health, see your doctor often. Talk to them and let them know if you notice anything that doesn’t seem right. Find out right now what your eGFR is by asking your doctor.
- Put down the stress, eat well, work out, and get enough sleep if you want to live a healthy life.
- Before taking any over-the-counter medicines, you should talk to your doctor.
Why You Need To See A Kidney Doctor
- Who is the best doctor for kidney disease? Another name for this person is a nephrologist. The right eGFR for you is 30 to 44. Need to see a nephrologist? Ask your doctor to send you there.
Stage 3a: eGFR 45 To 59
What It Means:
Decrease in kidney function that can be small to large.
Possible Signs And Symptoms:
Having trouble going to the toilet, having swollen feet and hands, feeling weak or tired, having skin that is dry and itchy, back pain or muscle cramps
What You Can Do:
Talk to your doctor if your symptoms or test results change.
Talk to a kidney nutritionist if you are having trouble with what you are eating. Pay attention to what you eat. Select some things that are good for heart health.
Stage 3b: eGFR 30 To 44
What It Means:
Different levels of kidney function loss, from not working at all to very badly
Possible Signs And Symptoms:
Feel weak or tired, have skin that is dry and itchy, back pain, or muscle cramps. Have swollen hands and feet.
What You Can Do:
- Talk to your doctor if your symptoms or test results change.
- Talk to your doctor about seeing a nephrologist. A nephrologist is a kidney doctor. Keep taking care of your health to slow down the progression of CKD.
Stage 4: eGFR 15–29
What It Means:
That is a very bad loss of kidney function.
Possible Signs And Symptoms:
A low red blood cell count, not wanting to eat, bone disease, and phosphorus, calcium, and vitamin D levels that are too high or too low
What You Can Do:
- To get the best care and to take charge of your health, do what was said in the first few steps.
- Keep seeing your doctor to find out if your symptoms change or if you get any new ones.
- To make your kidneys last longer, talk to your doctor about what foods are good for them.
- Doctors who specialize in kidneys are called nephrologists. They can help you choose the treatment that fits your needs the best. Find out how to get a new kidney.
- Once you know what kind of entry you want to make, you can begin.
- Find people who care about you and can help you by getting in touch with them.
Stage 5: eGFR Is Less Than 15
What It Means:
Kidneys That Don’t Work Or Are Almost Broken
Possible Signs And Symptoms:
Sickness, throwing up, high blood pressure, being tired, having trouble breathing, having swollen hands, legs, eyes, or lower back, and lower back pain
What You Can Do:
- To get the best care and take charge of your health, do what was said in the first few steps.
- What benefits do you get from your insurance? Talk to the person in charge of insurance about it.
- The nephrologist will talk to us a lot to find out how things are going.
- Set up a place to do dialysis at home as soon as you decide to do it. Also, learn what to expect from the training.
- Make sure you understand everything you need to know before you go to a nearby center for in-center dialysis.
- Find out as much as you can about how to have fun while on dialysis and stay healthy. Find out what your rights are and how to do your job if you have one.