80 year old 56 eGFR is this ok

[Victoria2603]

My 80 year old mom got her blood tests result back from her Dr.

Her eGFR is 56 (down from 68 the previous year) the test states chronic kidney desease stage 3a

creatine is 85umol/L range 53-97

Potassium 4.9 umol/L range 3.5-5.1

She asked the Dr if she should be concerned or adjust her diet, he said her kidneys are good for her age, she doesn't have to worry. She is slightly anaemic and has high and increasingly unstable BP he days they are unrelated to kidneys.

Is this acceptable for her age, would diet improve eGFR at this stage if her life is a second opinion worth it? Thank you.

[Jayhawker]

My PCP has consistently told me that they (physicians) don’t get alarmed until eGFR falls below 60. That’s for a person my age; I’m 66 years old now. Thus I’m sure I’d be hearing the same thing your mom has heard if I was 80 years of age.

Consequently, fir me there are two primary issues:

1. The speed with which her renal function is deteriorating.

2. How she is feeling and functioning on a daily basis.

I’d likely want to visit with her doctor about both of these issues. What is causing this somewhat major change in her renal function? Is this typical for women in her age? If not, what could be causing this deterioration? Does her doctor anticipate that she will reach renal failure? Why or why not? What, if anything, can be done to slow the progression of her renal deterioration? Should she see a nephrologist? What can be done to treat the symptoms she’s presenting, eg, the anemia she’s experiencing?

Several years ago I literally arrived in my nephrologist’s office with a graphic organizer depicting the host of symptoms I was experiencing. (The graphic organizer was an outline of a human. I then listed my symptoms in the margins of the page drawing lines to the part or parts of my body effected by that symptom.) I then asked these questions:

1. Are there any symptoms on this image that you think are not attributable to my CKD? (I then crossed those symptoms out.)

2. Are there any symptoms you think are most likely related to my CKD? (I left those symptoms alone.)

3. I asked if the remaining symptoms could be caused by my CKD but could just as easily be caused by something else? (My nephrologist confirmed that statement. I put question marks beside those symptoms,)

My nephrologist and I then focused on the symptoms he had identified as most likely caused by my CKD. I asked if any of those symptoms could be treated. He said absolutely. We then began working to resolve those symptoms. 6 months later they were all resolved.

I shared the graphic organizers with my PCP as well after editing it to document my nephrologist’s comments. My PCP immediately began focusing on those symptoms that were most like not related to my CKD. She had those resolved in 6 months. Along the way some of the other symptoms resolved on their own. Others were addressed by a gastroenterologist.

I knew I was moving toward renal failure. I did everything I could to slow progression. However I was pleasantly surprised to find that with a team approach and a solid interdisciplinary treatment plan I was feeling and functioning quite well. I considered both of those issues to be major wins.

I hope you’ll be able to, with help from your mom’s medical team, facilitate the same for her🐶

Jayhawker

[orangecity41 NKF Ambassador]

I am 78 year old male and was diagnosed with CKD with eGFR of 54, when I was 74. My PD put me on a renal diet and prescribed exercise for my age. I would definitely follow-up with your mother's doctor and request another eGFR in a few months. Also look at previous eGFR tests and see if there is a trend to discuss with the Doctor.

[KidneyCoach NKF Ambassador]

Yes it is considered acceptable for her age especially since those changes were after a full year.

Personally I would consider a second opinion. If your mother has increasingly high and unstable blood pressure this needs to be addressed especially with slight anemia. Uncontrolled high blood pressure is the second leading cause of renal failure. Now, don't be alarmed. Perhaps a simple adjustment to her bp meds will correct this. I'm not a Doctor, so seeking another opinion or asking her doctor about the high bp and better control may be good avenues as well. For any doctor to say high bp is unrelated to kidneys is a red flag for me. JMHO

Blessings