Diagnosing Kidney Disease
The sooner you are diagnosed and start treatment, the more likely you will be able to feel better and slow down the progression of kidney disease. Once kidney function is lost, it may not come back. Your symptoms are likely to get worse without medical treatment. Anything you can do, under your doctor’s care, to slow down this loss of kidney function is worth doing.
Testing
Here are some of the tests you may be given to measure how well your kidneys work:
- Test for protein in your urine.
- Blood pressure, to see if it’s high.
- Ultrasound or CAT scan of your kidneys.
- Kidney biopsy.
- Blood test to measure your creatinine.
Know Your GFR
Creatinine is a waste product in your blood that comes from muscle activity. It is normally removed from your blood by your kidneys, but when kidney function slows down, the creatinine level rises. Your doctor will use your creatinine level along with other information to calculate your GFR (glomerular filtration rate). The GFR helps your doctor determine how well your kidneys are cleaning your blood and diagnose kidney disease. The chart below describes how GFR is tied to each stage and what steps you and your doctor can take to help you stay healthy.
| GFR |
Stage |
Description |
What You Can Do |
| 90 mL/min or more |
1 |
Kidney damage with normal or high GFR |
- Find out your GFR and check it regularly.
- Control your blood pressure.
- Control your blood sugar if you have diabetes.
- Ask your doctor what you can do to keep your kidney disease from advancing.
- Keep your heart as healthy as possible. Lose weight if your doctor advises you to. Eat healthy meals. Exercise regularly. Quit smoking. Limit alcohol use. Reduce stress. Get enough sleep.
|
| 60–89 mL/min |
2 |
Kidney damage with mild decrease in GFR |
- Follow the advice from Stage 1 AND—
- Talk with your doctor about your blood tests and be sure to ask about any changes. Ask for a copy to keep for your records.
- Take medications exactly as your doctor prescribes them.
- Protect your blood vessels—you may need them for future dialysis access. Don’t let anyone draw blood or put an intravenous line in your arms—use your hands instead. Ask your doctor to write you a letter you can show to healthcare staff in case they don’t understand.
- Follow up with your doctor.
|
30–59 mL/min
|
3 |
Kidney damage with moderate decrease in GFR |
- Follow the advice from previous Stages AND—
- Ask your healthcare team how to prevent other health problems that may result from CKD.
|
| 15–29 mL/min |
4 |
Kidney damage with severe decrease in GFR
|
- Follow the advice from previous Stages AND—
- See your doctors more often in Stage 4 and follow the advice of your
- CKD team for your diet, medications, and lifestyle changes. You are at high risk for complications related to CKD and other health problems.
- Start getting ready for kidney replacement therapy: attend a Treatment Options Program if you haven’t previously. Once you know which treatment you would prefer, schedule an appointment to have a surgeon create an access point for dialysis. Having an access made now will give it time to heal.
- Get a dialysis access created by a surgeon. Having an access made now will give it time to heal so you stay healthier.
|
| Less than 15 mL/min |
5 |
Kidney failure
|
- In this stage, you need dialysis or a kidney transplant to replace your lost kidney function.
|
