Chronic kidney disease

Chronic kidney disease means your kidneys have not worked right for a while. It most often happens as a result of damage to your kidneys over many years. But it can also happen quickly.

Your kidneys have an important job. They remove waste and extra fluid from your blood. This waste and fluid goes out of your body in your urine.

When your kidneys don't work as they should, wastes build up in your blood. This makes you sick.

Chronic kidney disease is also called chronic renal failure. Or it may be called chronic renal insufficiency.

Many people with chronic kidney disease don't have symptoms. If your kidneys get worse and start to fail, you may:

• Have swelling and weight gain. This is from the extra fluid in your tissues. It is called edema (say "ih-DEE-muh").
• Often feel sick to your stomach (nauseated) or vomit.
• Have trouble sleeping.
• Urinate less than normal.
• Have trouble thinking clearly.
• Feel very tired.

Your doctor will ask you about past kidney problems. You will be asked if you have a family history of kidney disease. Your doctor will also want to know what medicines you take. This includes prescription and over-the-counter medicines.

Your doctor will do blood and urine tests to check how well your kidneys are working. This will help your doctor see how well your kidneys filter your blood.

You may have a test, such as an ultrasound or CT scan. These tests let your doctor look at a picture of your kidneys. This can help your doctor measure the size of your kidneys and see if anything is blocking your urine flow.

In some cases, your doctor may take a tiny sample of kidney tissue. This is called a biopsy. It helps the doctor find out what caused the kidney disease.

The first step is to treat the disease that's causing kidney damage. In most cases, this is diabetes or high blood pressure. Managing your blood pressure and blood sugar may slow the damage to your kidneys.

You'll probably need to take medicine. Take it as prescribed.

Lifestyle changes can help slow kidney disease or improve other problems that make kidney disease worse.

• Follow a diet that's easy on your kidneys. You may need to limit salt (sodium) and protein and watch your fluid intake.
• Be active.
• Don’t smoke or use tobacco.
• Limit alcohol and avoid illegal drugs.
• Avoid medicines that can harm your kidneys. Let your doctor know all of the prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbs you take. Talk with your doctor before taking anything new.

If you have kidney failure, your doctor may recommend that you start dialysis. Or it may be better to get a new kidney (transplant).

Treatments and appointments

• Be safe with medicines. Give your child medicines exactly as prescribed. Call your doctor if your child has any problems with the medicines.
• If your child has diabetes, do your best to keep your child's blood sugar in the target range. Make sure your child takes their medicine, eats healthy foods, and gets some exercise.
• Make sure your child goes to dialysis appointments if needed.
• Do not give your child ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), naproxen (Aleve), or similar medicines, unless your doctor tells you to. These may make the disease worse.

Diet

• Talk to a registered dietitian. A dietitian can help you make an eating plan with the right amounts of salt (sodium), potassium, and protein for your child. Your child may also need to limit how much fluid they drink each day.