Chronic Kidney Disease

Chronic Kidney Disease or CKD for short is a condition in which the kidneys function is not working as well as they should. About 15% of adults in the USA have CKD and as many as 90% of those with CKD do not even know it. CKD is often asymptomatic, meaning one may not even know they have it unless they regularly have blood work that checks the kidneys’ function. The leading causes of kidney disease are diabetes and hypertension. There are 5 stages of kidney disease. All patients with CKD stage 3 or greater should be ideally seeing a nephrologist. If CKD is left untreated it can progress and lead to End Stage Kidney Disease requiring dialysis.