Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)

Stages

The stages of chronic kidney disease are determined by the glomerular filtration rate (GFR). CKD is divided into 5 stages of increasing severity.

Stage 1 - Slight kidney damage with normal or increased filtration (GFR is more than 90 ml/min)

Stage 2 - Mild decrease in kidney function (GFR is 60-89 ml/min)

Stage 3 - Moderate decrease in kidney function (GFR is 30-59 ml/min)

Stage 4 - Severe decrease in kidney function (GFR is 15-29 ml/min)

Stage 5 - Kidney failure; requiring dialysis or transplantation (GFR is less than 15 ml/min). This stage is also referred to as end-stage renal disease, wherein there is total or near-total loss of kidney function.

End-stage renal disease

It is the final result of chronic kidney failure. A number of complications including anemia, high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, bone disease, digestive tract problems and loss of mental functioning (dementia) may develop. In end-stage renal disease, kidney functions can be replaced only by dialysis or by kidney transplantation.