Is this ckd?

[Dee2019]

Hi all

I had visited my gp a couple of times over the last few months after I had felt unwell. I blood test for something else had shown gfr of 61 with creatinine at 95umol/l (my reference range being 44-80 umol/l. I seemed to have had an infection a couple of weeks prior to blood tests so went back to the gp after 3 weeks for retest and gfr went to 70 with creatinine at 85.

These are the only bloods my gp had but I had remembered I had some blood tests done 13 years ago. I have just received a copy of these from the hospital - they show a gfr of 77 and creatinine of 88 ( my range back then at 20 years old was 55-120).

As my gfr seems to have always been low, is this likely to be ckd or something else does anyone know?

Thanks 🙂

[Bassetmommer]

Hi Dee,

Kidney function declines as part of the natural process of aging. You do not say how old you are but I am adding up your number and guessing in your mid-thirties. Slight changes can be a result of how hydrated you are and if there was medications, or in your case an infection, that might impact the number.

There is no way we can tell you if you have CKD just from the numbers you gave. I would speak with your doctor about you ranges and see if they feel there is an issue. It might just be where you naturally run with your function. I would also recommend in three months retesting to see if you numbers go up. Drink water and keep hydrated before the test and in general to help the kidneys.

[Zazzel]

In addition to what Bassetmommer said, you might find out from your parents if any type of kidney disease runs in your family. As Bassetmommer said, lots of things could cause this number, but also Certain types of kidney disease such as IGA Nephropathy are hereditary.

Also, Ask your doctor if you can get a urine test to see if there is any protein or blood in your urine. These would be indicators that something more needs to be looked at. Generally speaking, early CKD does not cause people to feel sick, however that does depend on the cause or specific type of CKD.

Many times general practitioners will not see that there is any cause for concern as long as the GFR is above 60 so you might have to be a little assertive with your questions. Go in with a list of questions written down for your doctor. Although there is no need to panic, it is always a good wake up call to practice healthy living- exercise, no smoking or excessive drinking, eat more Whole Foods and less processed or fast foods, don’t salt food excessively, be careful of taking too many NSAID drugs (Tylenol is a better choice) and try doing relaxation therapies.

Come back if you have more questions for us.

[WYOAnne]

CKD is not diagnosed just on the numbers you gave us. Usually, the nephrologist is looking at blood as well as urine test results. They look at not only creatinine, but BUN, sodium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium - urine they also look to see if you are spilling protein and if rbc's are present.

None of us are medical experts, but only speak from our own experiences. If you are concerned about CKD you should be having this conversation with your doctor. There are other tests he could order to rule this out or diagnose.

Also the GFR is but an estimate of your filtration rate. It can be effected by stress, medication, dehydration, a kidney blockage issue, etc.

Make an appt with your doctor.....