Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a long-term condition where the kidneys slowly lose their ability to filter waste and excess fluid from the blood. Often called a “silent disease,” it may show few symptoms early on but can lead to serious health problems if left unmanaged.
Diabetes, high blood pressure, and family history are major risk factors. The good news: with early detection and proactive care, CKD can often be slowed, helping people protect their kidney health and overall wellbeing.
We spoke with Dr. Jeffrey Komisarof, board-certified internist, nephrologist, and intensivist, who answered some of the most common questions about chronic kidney disease.
Q: What is kidney disease, and who is at risk?
A: Kidney disease is any disease that affects your kidneys, the organs that get rid of waste products that your body produces. There are hundreds of diseases that can cause kidney disease, but by far the most common ones are diabetes and hypertension (high blood pressure), which are both very common in the general population. Therefore, if you have diabetes and/or hypertension, you are at increased risk of having chronic kidney disease.
Q: What are the best ways to prevent kidney disease?
A: Since the majority of kidney disease is caused by diabetes and hypertension, prevention of kidney disease lies in either not getting these diseases, or if you have them, treating them as rigorously as possible. Taking medications that your doctor prescribes to treat these conditions is very important, as well-controlled diabetes and hypertension will cause slower progression of kidney disease than if they are under-treated. In addition to medications, a number of lifestyle modifications can be very helpful at treating diabetes and hypertension, and therefore kidney disease. Eating a healthy diet, exercising, losing weight, quitting smoking, minimizing stress in your life, and getting adequate sleep are all important.
Q: Are there early symptoms of kidney disease? At what point should someone seek medical attention?
A: Sadly, people don’t often know they have kidney disease until it has progressed to a very critical point. There can be little to no symptoms until kidney function has decreased to less than 20-30% of normal. This makes it very important that people see their primary care doctor yearly, and that their doctor screen them for kidney disease. This means checking basic bloodwork for creatinine (a marker of kidney function) and your urine for the presence of protein. With early screening, kidney disease can be detected at an early stage, when it can be more effectively treated.
Q: Once someone is diagnosed, what are the best ways to manage CKD?
A: Early and aggressive treatment of the underlying causes of the kidney disease (often diabetes and/or hypertension) is critical to minimizing progression over the years. If diabetes and hypertension are managed well, the resulting kidney disease can often be slowed, allowing people to avoid the reduction in quality of life which goes along with advanced kidney disease, or worst case scenario, needing dialysis, which is required when a person’s kidney function is not enough to sustain critical bodily functions. It is important to diagnose kidney disease as early as possible through regular screening.
About the Expert
Board-certified internist, nephrologist, and intensivist