Yes, kidney function can improve, especially if the underlying cause is addressed promptly (like an obstruction or medication side effect), or through significant lifestyle changes such as managing blood pressure/diabetes, diet, and exercise, though substantial improvement in established chronic kidney disease (CKD) is challenging and often the focus shifts to slowing progression, but some studies show improvement is possible even in later stages.
Many people with kidney function will recover over time. This could take days, weeks or months. For some people, acute kidney injury can cause death, or it can cause permanent damage and lead to chronic kidney disease.
The progression of kidney disease can be slowed, but it cannot always be reversed. End-stage renal disease (ESRD) is the total loss of kidney function. Dialysis and transplantation can extend the lives of people with ESRD. Diabetes and high blood pressure are the two leading causes of kidney failure.
Your healthcare provider will order blood and urine tests to check kidney function. Specifically, the blood tests will check: Your glomerular filtration rate (GFR). This describes how efficiently your kidneys are filtering blood — how many milliliters per minute your kidneys are filtering.
There's no cure for chronic kidney disease (CKD), but treatment can help relieve the symptoms and stop it getting worse.
Diabetes and high blood pressure are the top culprits damaging kidneys most, as they harm the delicate filtering blood vessels, leading to chronic kidney disease (CKD) and failure; other major factors include smoking, obesity, dehydration, poor diet (high sugar/salt/red meat), certain medications (NSAIDs), lack of sleep, and genetic conditions. These factors create a cycle where damaged kidneys worsen blood pressure, further damaging them.
Generally, earlier stages are known as 1 to 3. And as kidney disease progresses, you may notice the following symptoms. Nausea and vomiting, muscle cramps, loss of appetite, swelling via feet and ankles, dry, itchy skin, shortness of breath, trouble sleeping, urinating either too much or too little.
Consistently clear, colorless urine may indicate a person is over-hydrating or a potential dysfunction in the kidneys. Healthy urine is pale-to-light yellow color and may appear almost clear at points.
Early recovery of kidney function can occur within days of onset of AKI, usually in the hospital itself, and delayed recovery of kidney function can occur weeks to even months later.
To strengthen your kidneys, focus on a healthy lifestyle: stay hydrated with water, eat a balanced diet low in salt and processed foods, exercise regularly, avoid smoking and excessive alcohol, manage blood pressure and sugar, limit over-the-counter pain relievers (like NSAIDs), and maintain a healthy weight to support overall kidney function.
In the general population, approximately 38% of adults aged 70 or older have an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) < 60 ml/min/1.73 m2, with most having moderate reductions in eGFR in the 30-59 ml/min/1.73 m2 range (1).
The self-renewal process, which is fundamentally different from how other bodily tissues are thought to regenerate, helps explain how, barring injury or disease, the kidneys can remain healthy for a lifetime. The researchers described the mechanism in a study published April 17 in Nature Nanotechnology.
Water helps the kidneys to remove waste from your blood in the form of urine. Water also helps blood vessels stay open. Then blood can move through the blood vessels to carry nutrients to your kidneys. If you become dehydrated, then blood and nutrients can't get to your kidneys.
Symptoms of kidney disease
Fasting can provide benefits for kidney health, especially in controlling blood pressure and reducing risk factors for metabolic syndrome. However, for individuals with kidney disorders, fasting can carry risks such as dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, and increased risk of kidney stones.
You can check kidney function at home using at-home test kits for urine (detecting protein/albumin) or finger-prick blood tests (checking creatinine/eGFR), often with smartphone apps for analysis, or by monitoring symptoms like increased nighttime urination (nocturia), swelling, or changes in urine (blood, foam) and discussing results with a doctor, as home tests screen but don't replace professional diagnosis.
A core function of the kidneys is to clean your blood by expelling waste products and excess fluid as urine. So if you've noticed a change in your urine — such as color, cloudiness or unusual smell — it could be a sign that your kidney health is at risk.
Healthy urine is clear (not cloudy), odorless and in a shade of yellow that can range from very pale to a darker, amber-like hue. “The shade of your urine depends on your hydration level,” explains Dr. Leong.
If your kidneys aren't working properly, you may notice one or more of the following signs:
Many people with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are able to live long lives without being unduly affected by the condition. Although it's not possible to repair damage that has already happened to your kidneys, CKD will not necessarily get worse. CKD only reaches an advanced stage in a small proportion of people.
Stress and uncontrolled reactions to stress can also lead to kidney damage. As the blood filtering units of your body, your kidneys are prone to problems with blood circulation and blood vessels. High blood pressure and high blood sugar can place an additional strain or burden on your kidneys.
End-stage Kidney Disease (ESKD)
Males are 1.6 times more likely to develop ESKD than females. Black people are more than 4 times more likely to develop ESKD. Hispanic people and Native American people are more than twice as likely to develop ESKD. Asian people are 1.6 times more likely to develop ESKD.
Establishing a Consistent Hydration Routine. Start your day with a glass of water and space your intake evenly. Contrary to popular belief, drinking water at night is bad for kidneys unless it leads to frequent nighttime urination that disrupts sleep.
Urea is carried in the bloodstream to the kidneys, where it is removed along with water and other wastes in the form of urine. Other important functions of the kidneys include blood pressure regulation and the production of erythropoietin, which controls red blood cell production in the bone marrow.