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Twenty million
Americans - 1 in 9 US adults - have CKD (Chronic Kidney Disease) and another 20 million more are at increased risk. Hearing that you have a CKD, the lack of removing chemicals and impurities from the blood, can be shocking at first.
It means going through continuous medical tests and medical appointments — along with dealing with all the stages of
grief including anger, denial, and depression until you reach a place of acceptance.
Looking at Kevin, you would never realize that Kevin is and has been in Stage 5 (end stage renal failure) for some
time but fortunately not requiring dialysis at this time. The handfuls of medicines and change in diet
are keeping Kevin from having to endure the four plus hours a day / three to four times a week dialysis procedure that takes
over for the failing kidneys. The Facts About Chronic Kidney Disease
(CKD)- 20 million Americans - 1 in 9 US adults - have CKD and another 20 million more are at increased risk.
- Early detection can help prevent the progression of kidney disease to kidney failure.
- Heart disease is the
major cause of death for all people with CKD.
- Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is the best estimate of kidney function.
- Hypertension causes CKD and CKD causes hypertension.
- Persistent proteinuria means CKD.
- High risk
groups include those with diabetes, hypertension and family history of kidney disease.
- African Americans, Hispanics,
Pacific Islanders, Native Americans and Seniors are at increased risk.
- Three simple tests can detect CKD: blood pressure,
urine albumin and serum creatinine.
Chronic kidney disease includes conditions that damage
your kidneys and decrease their ability to keep you healthy. If kidney disease gets worse, wastes can build to high levels
in your blood and make you feel sick. You may develop complications like high blood pressure, anemia (low blood count), weak
bones, poor nutritional health and nerve damage. Also, kidney disease increases your risk of having heart and blood vessel
disease. These problems may happen slowly over a long period of time. Chronic kidney disease may be caused by diabetes, high
blood pressure and other disorders. Early detection and treatment can often keep chronic kidney disease from getting worse.
When kidney disease progresses, it may eventually lead to kidney failure, which requires dialysis or a kidney transplant to
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Polycystic kidney disease (PKD) is a genetic
disorder characterized by the growth of numerous cysts in the kidneys. The cysts are filled with fluid. PKD cysts can slowly
replace much of the mass of the kidneys, reducing kidney function and leading to kidney failure.
The kidneys are two organs, each about the size of a fist, located in the upper part of a person’s abdomen,
toward the back. The kidneys filter wastes and extra fluid from the blood to form urine. They also regulate amounts of certain
vital substances in the body.
When PKD causes kidneys to fail—which usually
happens after many years—the patient requires dialysis or kidney transplantation. About one-half of people with the
major type of PKD progress to kidney failure, also called end-stage renal disease (ESRD).
PKD can cause cysts in the liver and problems in other organs, such as the heart and blood vessels in the
brain. These complications help doctors distinguish PKD from the usually harmless “simple” cysts that often form
in the kidneys in later years of life.
In the United States, about 600,0001 people have PKD, and it is the fourth leading cause of kidney failure. Medical professionals describe two
major inherited forms of PKD and a noninherited form:
Autosomal dominant PKD is the most
common inherited form. Symptoms usually develop between the ages of 30 and 40, but they can begin earlier, even in childhood.
About 90 percent of all PKD cases are autosomal dominant PKD. Autosomal recessive PKD
is a rare inherited form. Symptoms of autosomal recessive PKD begin in the earliest months of life, even in the womb. Acquired cystic kidney disease (ACKD) develops in association with long-term kidney problems, especially in patients
who have kidney failure and who have been on dialysis for a long time. Therefore it tends to occur in later years of life.
It is not an inherited form of PKD.
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