Idaho Nephrology

What is Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)?

Healthy kidneys function to remove extra water and waste from the blood, help control blood pressure, keep body chemicals in balance, keep bones strong, tell your body to make red blood cells and help children grow normally. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) occurs when kidneys are no longer able to clean toxins and waste product from the blood and perform their functions to full capacity. This can happen suddenly or over time.

Diabetes is the number one cause of kidney disease, responsible for about 40 percent of all kidney failure. High blood pressure is the second cause, responsible for about 30 percent.  Other forms of kidney disease like glomerulonephritis, genetic diseases, autoimmune diseases, birth defects and other problems can also cause kidney disease.

Idaho Nephrology
Idaho Nephrology

What is Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)?

Healthy kidneys function to remove extra water and waste from the blood, help control blood pressure, keep body chemicals in balance, keep bones strong, tell your body to make red blood cells and help children grow normally. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) occurs when kidneys are no longer able to clean toxins and waste product from the blood and perform their functions to full capacity. This can happen suddenly or over time.

Diabetes is the number one cause of kidney disease, responsible for about 40 percent of all kidney failure. High blood pressure is the second cause, responsible for about 30 percent.  Other forms of kidney disease like glomerulonephritis, genetic diseases, autoimmune diseases, birth defects and other problems can also cause kidney disease.

What are the symptoms of chronic kidney disease?

Knowing the symptoms of kidney disease can help people detect it early enough to get treatment. Symptoms can include:

  • Changes in urination — making more or less urine than usual, feeling pressure when urinating, changes in the color of urine, foamy or bubbly urine, or having to get up at night to urinate.
  • Swelling of the feet, ankles, hands, or face — caused by fluid the kidneys can’t remove which may stay in the tissue.
  • Fatigue or weakness — caused by a build-up of waste or a shortage of red blood cells (anemia) when the kidneys begin to fail.
  • Shortness of breath — caused by fluid building up in the lungs; for this reason, kidney failure is sometimes confused with asthma or heart failure.
  • Ammonia breath or an ammonia or metal taste in the mouth — a result of waste build-up in the body that can cause bad breath, changes in taste, or an aversion to protein foods like meat.
  • Back or flank pain — affecting the area where the kidneys are located on either side of the spine in the back.
  • Itching — may be severe, especially in the legs, as a result of waste build-up in the body.
  • Loss of appetite
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • More hypoglycemic episodes (if diabetic)

If you believe you have any of these symptoms, talk to your doctor about your concerns. This is especially important if you have a close family member who has kidney disease, or if you have diabetes or high blood pressure, which are the main causes of kidney failure.