Condition
Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)
Chronic Kidney Disease means that the kidneys are damaged or have structural/functional problems that reduce their ability to filter blood properly. Diabetes and high blood pressure are among the most common causes in adults.
Symptoms
Early CKD often causes few or no symptoms, so blood and urine testing can be important for detection. As kidney disease advances, symptoms such as swelling may develop.
How is kidney function assessed?
Common kidney evaluation uses:
- blood testing to estimate GFR/eGFR
- urine testing for albumin/protein
Serum creatinine contributes to estimating GFR, but kidney function should not be interpreted from creatinine in isolation.
Related pages
High Creatinine Kidney Failure Diabetic Kidney Disease Hemodialysis — only where clinically appropriate
CKD does not automatically mean that dialysis is required.