Kidney disease comes in stages. The stage helps decide on your treatment. Chronic kidney disease has five stages, ranging from nearly normal kidney function (stage 1) to kidney failure, which requires dialysis or transplant (stage 5). Understanding your stage can help you learn how to take control and slow the progression of your condition.

Kidney disease is called a ‘silent disease’ as there are often no warning signs.
It is not uncommon for people to lose up to 90 per cent of their kidney function before getting any symptoms. There are, however, some signs that may indicate reduced kidney function.

These can include:

• high blood pressure
• changes in the amount and number of times urine is passed
• changes in the appearance of your urine (for example, frothy or foaming urine)
• blood in your urine
• puffiness in your legs, ankles or around your eyes
• pain in your kidney area
• tiredness
• loss of appetite
• difficulty sleeping
• headaches
• lack of concentration
• itching
• shortness of breath
• nausea and vomiting
• bad breath and a metallic taste in your mouth
• muscle cramps
• pins and needles in your fingers or toes

A lot of these symptoms manifest late in the spectrum of kidney impairment.

Kidneys play a major role in maintaining a good health by disposing waste from human body. Kidneys produces urine and removes waste through urine.
Kidneys regulate blood pressure, filters blood and removes wastes and toxins, removes excess liquid. The kidneys are two bean-shaped organs about the size of a fist. They are situated above your waist, with the left kidney a little higher and a little larger. The kidneys do way more than just producing urine. In addition to removing extra fluid and water from your body, kidneys:

• Filter the blood
• Balance fluid content in the body
• Produce the enzyme renin that helps control blood pressure
• Produce the hormone erythropoietin to help make red blood cells
• Activate vitamin D to maintain healthy bones
• Adjust levels of minerals and other chemicals to keep the body working properly

Diabetes
High blood pressure
Being 60 years or older
Having a family member with kidney disease, diabetes, or high blood pressure

Lead to kidney failure
Cause heart and blood vessel disease

Kidney disease is broadly classified into acute kidney injury and chronic kidney disease.

Acute kidney injury

Acute kidney injury is sudden damage to the kidneys. In many cases it will be short term but in some people it may lead to long-term chronic kidney disease.

The main causes are:

• damage to the actual kidney tissue caused by a drug, severe infection or radioactive dye
• obstruction to urine leaving the kidney (for example because of kidney stones or an enlarged prostate).
• People who have chronic kidney disease are also at increased risk of acute kidney injury.

Chronic kidney disease

More often, kidney function worsens over a number of years. This is known as chronic kidney disease. Sometimes it can progress to end stage kidney disease, which requires dialysis or a kidney transplant to keep you alive.

There are different causes of chronic kidney disease, the key ones being:

• damaged blood vessels to the kidneys due to high blood pressure and diabetes
• attacks on the kidney tissue by disease or the immune system (glomerulonephritis)
• the growth of cysts on the kidneys (polycystic kidney disease)
• damage due to backward flow of urine into the kidneys (reflux nephropathy)
• congenital abnormalities of the kidney or urinary tract.

A person may be referred to a kidney doctor if he or she is experiencing:
Acute renal failure
Stage 4 or 5 chronic kidney disease
Accelerated decline in kidney function
Chronic urinary tract infections
Repeat urinary tract infections
High blood pressure that does not respond to medication
A glomerular filtration rate (GFR) of 30 or lower
Repeat kidney stones
Blood loss in the urine
Protein loss in the urine

• Urine Test called ACR. ACR stands for “albumin-to-creatinine ratio.” Your urine will be tested for albumin. Albumin is a type of protein. Your body needs protein. But it should be in the blood, not the urine. Having protein in your urine may mean that your kidneys are not filtering your blood well enough.

• Blood Test to estimate your GFR. Your blood will be tested for a waste product called creatinine. Creatinine comes from muscle tissue. When the kidneys are damaged, they have trouble removing creatinine from your blood.