Stages of Chronic Renal Failure
- Chronic renal failure, also known as Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), affects more than 26 million adults in the United States. The kidneys play a critical role in the function of a healthy body by removing waste products from the blood. Chronic renal failure inhibits their ability to perform this role, which affects the rest of the body's major organ systems. Left untreated, chronic renal failure will lead to death. Due to its prevalence and serious nature, it is important to understand the stages of chronic renal failure.
- Healthy kidneys remove wastes and fluids from the body and also perform several regulatory functions, such as balancing the minerals in our blood, removing toxic elements from the body and releasing hormones into the bloodstream. When someone has chronic renal failure, his kidneys are slowly damaged over a period of time and unable to perform these functions. This causes water, wastes and other harmful substances to build up in the bloodstream, leading to high blood pressure, anemia and weakened bones.
- Chronic renal failure is classified into five stages. In Stages 1 and 2, very few obvious symptoms are present. It is possible for the kidneys to work well until they reach a tenth of their functional ability. A physician usually diagnoses a patient with chronic renal failure when they have high blood pressure, high levels of creatine and protein in their blood, a family history of polycystic kidney disease and kidney damage that is visible on diagnostic tests, such as an MRI or CT scan. Stage 3 chronic renal failure means that in addition to the above issues, anemia is present. This means that the body is not producing enough red blood cells. Bone disease may also be present. In Stage 4 chronic renal failure, a patient should be put on the waiting list for a kidney transplant and be undergoing dialysis while he waits for the procedure. In Stage 5, chronic renal failure has completely overtaken the kidneys, which no longer function.
Chronic renal failure is often caused by lifestyle diseases, such as diabetes and high blood pressure. In many cases, it is preventable by simply maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Because chronic renal failure is a progressive disease, it is possible to slow its growth through early detection and treatment as well as through living a healthy lifestyle. Other causes of chronic renal failure are a family history of the disease, immune disorders, such as lupus, and infection of the kidneys, often with kidney stones.
