Kidney Disease

Symptoms

Common symptoms of kidney disease may include:

• Fatigue – being tired all of the time
• Feeling cold – when others are warm
• Shortness of breath – after very little effort
• Feeling faint, dizzy, or weak
• Swelling in hands or feet

Are you at risk for kidney disease?

Factors that can put you at increased risk for kidney disease are:

Some people are more at risk than others. Some things that increase your risk for CKD include:

• • Diabetes
  • High blood pressure (hypertension)
  • Heart and blood vessel (cardiovascular) disease
  • Having a family member with kidney disease
  • Being African-American, Hispanic, Native American or Asian
  • Being over 60 years old

Diagnosis

There are various tests used to diagnose kidney disease. The doctor may start by asking

• Personal and Family medical history
• Current and past symptoms
• Laboratory tests and an electrocardiogram.

Based on the results of the assessment and tests, further tests may be requiredkidney

Laboratory Tests

Kidney lab test

To test your kidney function, your doctor will order a set of tests that can estimate your glomerular filtration rate (GFR). Your GFR tells your doctor how quickly your kidneys are clearing waste from your body.

Urinalysis

A urinalysis screens for the presence of protein and blood in the urine. There are many possible reasons for protein in your urine, not all of which are related to disease. Infection increases urine protein, but so does a heavy physical workout. Your doctor may want to repeat this test after a few weeks to see if the results are similar.

Serum creatinine test

This blood test examines whether creatinine is building up in your blood. The kidneys usually completely filter creatinine from the blood. A high level of creatinine suggests a kidney problem.

Blood urea nitrogen (BUN)

The blood urea nitrogen (BUN) test also checks for waste products in your blood. BUN tests measure the amount of nitrogen in the blood. Urea nitrogen is a breakdown product of protein.

Estimated GFR

This test estimates how well your kidneys are filtering waste. The test determines the rate by looking at factors, such as:

• test results, specifically creatinine levels
• age
• gender
• race
• height
• Weight