Kidney disease what is it

If your kidneys fail, you will need dialysis or a kidney transplant in order to live. Anyone can get CKD. Some people are more at risk than others. Some things that increase your risk for CKD include:. If your kidneys stop working suddenly acute kidney failure , you may notice one or more of the following symptoms:. Having one or more of any of the symptoms above may be a sign of serious kidney problems.

If you notice any of these symptoms, you should contact your doctor right away. Your kidneys help your whole body work properly. When you have CKD, you can also have problems with how the rest of your body is working.

Some of the common complications of CKD include anemia, bone disease, heart disease, high potassium, high calcium and fluid buildup. Dry and itchy skin can be a sign of the mineral and bone disease that often accompanies advanced kidney disease, when the kidneys are no longer able to keep the right balance of minerals and nutrients in your blood.

You feel the need to urinate more often. If you feel the need to urinate more often, especially at night, this can be a sign of kidney disease. When the kidneys filters are damaged, it can cause an increase in the urge to urinate. Sometimes this can also be a sign of a urinary infection or enlarged prostate in men. You see blood in your urine. Healthy kidneys typically keep the blood cells in the body when filtering wastes from the blood to create urine, but when the kidney's filters have been damaged, these blood cells can start to "leak" out into the urine.

In addition to signaling kidney disease, blood in the urine can be indicative of tumors, kidney stones or an infection. Your urine is foamy. Excessive bubbles in the urine — especially those that require you to flush several times before they go away—indicate protein in the urine. Treatments and Therapies. Living With. Related Issues. Health Check Tools.

Videos and Tutorials. Statistics and Research. Clinical Trials. Article: Association between plasma endothelial microparticles and contrast-induced nephropathy in patients underwent Article: A randomised controlled unblinded multicentre non-inferiority trial with activated vitamin D CKD can range from a mild condition with no or few symptoms, to a very serious condition where the kidneys stop working, sometimes called kidney failure.

Most people with CKD will be able to control their condition with medicine and regular check-ups. CKD only progresses to kidney failure in around 1 in 50 people with the condition. If you have CKD, even if it's mild, you're at an increased risk of developing other serious problems, such as cardiovascular disease. This is a group of conditions affecting the heart and blood vessels, which includes heart attack and stroke. Cardiovascular disease is one of the main causes of death in people with kidney disease, although healthy lifestyle changes and medicine can help reduce your risk of developing it.

Our guide to social care and support explains your options and where you can get support.