Chronic Kidney Disease Diagnosis: Essential Next Steps and Care Tips

So, you have been diagnosed with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Now what? First, know you are not alone.

Managing this condition will be a long-term commitment. Regular communication with a healthcare team, including a nephrologist (specialized kidney doctor), will be necessary. A tailored treatment plan that is personalized for you is essential to your good health and will lead to better results. Enrolling in the Ochsner Digital Medicine program, which manages high blood pressure and/or Type 2 diabetes, can help.

First, let’s understand your condition: Your kidneys perform important functions. Their most important job is to clean and filter your blood. Kidneys remove waste, like acids, extra water, and some medications. The extra water and the waste products flow into your bladder, where it is stored as urine (pee). This process results in a healthy balance of your body’s water, salts and minerals. Kidneys also help keep red blood cell count normal, regulate blood pressure, and even keep your bones strong. However, when you’re diagnosed with chronic kidney disease it means your damaged kidneys are not working as they should. Instead of filtering out waste, it goes back into your bloodstream.

The are five stages of the disease, from Stage 1 (mild) to Stage 5 (known as “end-stage renal disease”). These stages are defined by your estimated glomerular filtration rate, a measurement of how well your kidneys are cleaning your blood. The advancement of this disease can lead to needing dialysis or a kidney transplant due to a severe loss of kidney function. If it gets bad enough, it will become life-threatening.

Being diagnosed with CKD likely means you have also been diagnosed with diabetes or high blood pressure (also known as “hypertension”). According to the CDC, diabetes or high blood pressure represent three out of every four new cases of CKD. As these are two of the most common chronic, or ongoing, conditions, know you are not alone. A large amount of the population is at greater risk for developing CKD.

How high blood pressure and diabetes affect CKD:

1. Diabetes:Diabetes is the leading cause of CKD across the globe. This is because high blood sugar harms the blood vessels, which damages your kidneys’ filtering system. With time, your damaged kidneys can no longer filter out the toxins and extra fluid from your blood. Protein in the urine is often one of the first signs that someone is developing kidney disease because healthy kidneys would not let your body lose certain proteins. Keeping diabetes under control is one of the most important actions you can take to slow the progression of CKD and keep your kidneys working longer.
2. High blood pressure: High blood pressure also damages blood vessels, like diabetes, this harms the kidneys’ filtering system. Extra fluid stored in these damaged blood vessels can raise your blood pressure, creating a dangerous cycle. It can take years for high blood pressure to lead to symptoms of damaged kidneys. However, uncontrolled blood pressure will lead to symptoms such as headache and blood in urine. Keeping high blood pressure under control is also one of the most important ways to slow progression of CKD and keep your kidneys working longer.

What are the symptoms and warning signs?

Your CKD diagnosis means you have likely already experienced at least some of these symptoms. However, many people will already have the disease long before they know it, as warning signs may only appear after the disease has advanced. If you notice any of the following symptoms, you must talk to your doctor or your healthcare provider:

• Swelling in the legs, ankles, hands or feet
• Low energy, fatigue
• Loss of appetite, nausea
• Difficulty sleeping
• Passing less urine or darker urine
• Pain in the lower back
• Muscle cramps

What are the treatment options?

There is no cure for CKD as we cannot reverse the damage, but there are changes you can make that can slow the progression. Keeping diabetes and high blood pressure well controlled is one of the most important ways to keep your kidneys working longer. Other modifications include lifestyle changes such as eating healthy, low-salt, whole foods and making time for daily physical activity. Avoiding sugar, high-fat foods, tobacco and alcohol also helps. Your doctor may also prescribe certain medications or encourage you to lose weight.

If your CKD develops into kidney failure, you will have to be put on dialysis, in which a machine works as an artificial kidney to clean and filter your blood. This machine connects to you through an access point that is created by a surgeon as an outpatient procedure. If you are put on a list to get a kidney transplant, you may be started on dialysis while you wait for the transplant.

Join Ochsner Digital Medicine

If you have been diagnosed with high blood pressure and/or Type 2 diabetes, it is vital that you take steps to keep them controlled to keep your kidneys working longer.

Enrolling in the Ochsner Digital Medicine program will help you manage these conditions between visits to the doctor. You’ll receive a digital blood pressure cuff or a glucometer to take readings from home using your smartphone or tablet. You will also enjoy the support of a licensed clinician and professional health coaching. This care team will encourage you to stay up to date with annual screenings, monitor your readings, manage medications and provide lifestyle support.

With Ochsner Digital Medicine, you will get the support you need to be proactive in your kidney health. If you have been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and/or high blood pressure, enrollment in the program is highly encouraged. Again, keeping high blood pressure and diabetes under control is one of the most important things you can do to keep your kidneys working longer.

CKD can be a challenge—both physically and emotionally. But Ochsner Digital Medicine will give you the support you need to help educate yourself and manage this disease.