"I had a routine medical last month, which I was sure would be OK. But the blood test results showed that I have chronic kidney disease, stage 3a. I'm 60. Will I eventually need to have dialysis and a kidney transplant? Do I need treatment to prevent my kidneys deteriorating further? I have never had any symptoms of kidney trouble."
"Your chance of deteriorating into end-stage kidney failure, and therefore needing dialysis, is less than one in 100. So please don't worry. Since the blood test for kidney disease (it's called the EGF or estimated glomerular filtration rate) was instituted in 2006, as many as 10% of the people tested have been told they have stage 3 chronic renal failure. As there are only one or two people in the average general practice needing dialysis, the value of EGF has been called into question. Now we have four years of experience with it, the general approach is to wait and see, over the next few years, how each patient's EGF shifts. In the practices in which I work, the vast majority of the results stay steady, and there is no deterioration or need to treat with drugs designed to protect the kidneys"
I found this response by a doctor interesting. He states that 10% of people who's been tested have stage 3 renal failure!! Wonder if that's anywhere close to true?
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Cruze44
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Also just read. Sounds pretty much in keeping with what I've read. There is even discussion in the medical community about telling people a stage because it causes undo worry. People relate it to cancer stages and the focus should be on function.
I always figured the alarming CKD stats weren’t “truly” accurate. I figured the numbers were greatly exaggerated because I’d assume millions of people have stage 1 or 2 kidney disease which I think it’s debatable whether or not it should even be classified as a disorder at all. But this info seems to tell a different story altogether.
yes, that is interesting and relieving too. I had assumed there would be a natural decline in kidney function until we all reached dialysis. Why are we not told differently if that is not the case? I wonder if we can find some statistics with more detail into how many stage 3 people do end up in dialysis.
according to that website, I fall under the one percent of patients that have all three. ckd, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Just got diagnosed at stage three ckd. I'am a 48 year old male.
When you look at the meaning of the word chronic, it does describe chronic kidney disease.
"Residents age 65 and over grew from 35.0 million in 2000, to 49.2 million in 2016, accounting for 12.4 percent and 15.2 percent of the total population, respectively."--US Census Bureau
When you determine the % of the population over 60, and that the GFR decreases with age, this makes sense. Add in the decreasing unhealthiness of many diets, and the increasing consumption of packaged, prepared food, I think we have sufficient information as to why so many people have ckd. However, I believe there is also wide-spread ignorance regarding ckd and conditions that contribute to it. I also believe that each of us can turn the tide, for ourselves, and for others if they so choose. Once you have the information (thus, the value of being told early), you are in a position to:
1. learn all you can about ckd
2. do all that you can to prevent it getting worse
I very firmly believe that, if they tell you not to do certain things once you are in stage 4 or 5, that if you do them earlier, you will not reach stage 4 or 5. So far, it has worked for me. I am my own advocate, and I am doing all that I can to prevent my ckd from worsening. When diagnosed, my GFR was 36.6 and creatinine was 1.4. Four months late, my GFR was 54.0 and creatinine was 1.0. Next blood test is in July--we shall see what the results are then.
Hi there. I was diagnosed 8 yrs ago with stage 3 CKD. Complete shock as no symptoms of anything wrong. 8 yrs on still no symptoms. No medication as readings hardly vary so GP says stable and he has no concerns I have read some posts where sadly people let this diagnosis take over their lives. Don't worry, don't change, sometimes a positive mental attitude works wonders. X
So, I found the following information which is clearly talking about two groups of Stage 3 CKD people. I've put a quote in at the bottom. See what you make of it. It gives me hope. Wouldn't it be good if doctors stopped frightening us and just gave us the crucial information in the form of a leaflet. We could actually create one ourselves and hand it out to our local surgeries for them to give to new CKD patients.
''Patients with CKD stage G3 have impaired kidney function. Only a minority of patients with CKD stage G3 go on to develop more serious kidney disease. Cardiovascular disease, the umbrella term for diseases of the heart and circulation (e.g. heart attacks and strokes), is more common in patients with CKD. It is important to try and identify which patients may go on to develop more serious kidney damage and to try and reduce the chances of patients developing cardiovascular disease.
this is what happened to me and my kidney function is down to 22. IM TRYING DIET AND HERBEAL TABLETS TO TRY AND IMPROVE MY FUNCTION BEFORE I GO BACK IN AUGUST HAS THE CONSULTANT IS TALKING ABOUT TRANSPLANT ALREADY
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