If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with chronic kidney disease, this can be a confusing time. You may want to know more about all the stages of chronic kidney disease, so you can keep yourself as healthy as possible. Here is what you need to know about each of the five stages.
Stage 1 of the 5 Stages of Chronic Kidney Disease
At this stage, a person has mild kidney damage and an estimated glomerular filtration rate eGFR of at least 90. You can try to slow down the damage to your kidneys at this stage by eating a kidney-friendly diet, maintaining balanced blood sugar, staying active, and not smoking. If your general practitioner is the one who diagnoses this stage, this is a good time to find a kidney specialist.
Stage 2
The damage to your kidneys is still only mild at this stage, though your eGFR is now between 60 and 89. You should continue to take all the measures that are described in stage one, and eliminate even more things that are unhealthy for your kidneys.
Stage 3
This stage has two sub-stages. If you have an eGFR between 45 and 59, you have stage 3A. If you have an eGFR between 30 and 44, you have stage 3B. Some symptoms may appear at this stage, including anemia, back pain, and swelling in your hands and feet.
Stage 4
In stage 4, you have an eGFR between 15 and 29. This is the first stage in which your kidneys are considered severely damaged. This is the last stage before kidney failure. You should talk to your kidney specialist about what to do at this critical time.
Stage 5
This stage is marked by an eFR of less than 15. This means your kidneys have failed or are about to fail. You will likely need to do dialysis and / or a transplant at this stage.
For Help With the Stages of Chronic Kidney Disease, Turn to The Trusted Providers at First Class Kidney Care!
No matter what stage of chronic kidney disease you have, First Class Kidney Care is here to assist you! We are experienced providing care for various stages of chronic kidney disease to help you improve renal health, and we look forward to providing you with that same care. Please make an appointment by calling 754-307-9256 as soon as possible.