Chronic
Kidney Disease
Back
Definition
CKD
is
defined as a decreased level
of kidney function or
the
evidence of kidney damage
for greater than three months.
Individuals
at risk for developing
kidney disease are those with
diabetes, high blood pressure or a family history of kidney
disease.
Diagnosis
CKD
is easily diagnosed by information
obtained
from simple blood (serum creatinine)
and urine (microalbumin)
tests.
Stages
of CKD
Once
CKD
is diagnosed it is
important to determine
the level of kidney function.
The
National Kidney Foundation
has
identified 5 stages
of
chronic kidney disease.
Each stage represents
a level of kidney function as defined by a creatinine
clearance.
A
creatinine
clearance (CrCl) can
be
determined from a 24
hour urine collection
and serum creatinine
