The kidneys are 2 fist-sized organs that contain about a million nephrons each. A Nephron is the filtering unit of the kidney. The goal of each nephron and the kidneys as a whole unit is to clean your blood by filtering out extra water and wastes. Kidneys also make hormones that keep your bones strong and your blood healthy.
Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) indicates that the kidneys are not working as well as they should because some of the nephrons have become damaged. The kidneys are less able to filter off the waste products. Wastes can build to high levels in your blood and disturb your body’s balanced state.
You may develop complications like high blood pressure, anemia (low blood count), weak bones, poor nutritional health and nerve damage. Kidney disease may increase your risk of having heart and blood vessel disease. These problems may happen slowly over a long period of time. In the early stages, you may not feel sick. Your family doctor may only find an abnormal lab or protein in your urine. Early detection and treatment is important to keep your kidneys as healthy as possible and for as long as possible. Although there are many causes of CKD, high blood pressure and diabetes are the two main causes in the United States.
At Renal Consultants Medical Group, our doctors work with our to provide medical care designed to delay the progression of CKD. If the disease progresses to End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD), we will educate you and your family members on all of your options, including dialysis (in-center, home or peritoneal dialysis) or kidney transplantation. Each patient is unique and we will discuss the options that would best suit you.