Living with stage 1 kidney disease There is no cure for kidney disease, but it may be possible to stop its progress or at least slow down the damage. In many cases, the correct treatment and lifestyle changes can help keep a person and their kidneys healthier longer.
While it's not possible to reverse kidney damage, you can take steps to slow it down. Taking prescribed medicine, being physically active, and eating well will help. You'll also feel better and improve your overall well-being.
For a 60-year-old man, stage 1 kidney disease life expectancy will be approximately 15 years. That figure falls to 13 years, 8 years, and 6 years in the second, third, and fourth stages of kidney disease respectively. For a 60-year old woman, stage 1 life expectancy is 18 years, while stage 2 is only one year less.
Your doctor examines the kidney functions and GFR to determine the extent of the kidney damage. CKD has five stages and stage I is the early stage. Because you can halt further kidney damage with diet modification and supportive treatment, patients can live an extra 30 years following their stage I CKD diagnosis.
Not everyone will progress to the final and most serious stage. Many people will only experience moderate symptoms which can be mitigated, and lifestyle changes can often prevent progression to further stages when CKD is detected early.
Steps to take at stage 1 kidney disease
Make healthy lifestyle choices—quit smoking, exercise regularly, eat well (a dietitian can help), reduce stress, and get enough sleep. Take all medications as prescribed—and talk to your doctor before taking any over-the-counter medications.
Stage 1 of CKD
Stage 1 CKD means you have a normal eGFR of 90 or greater and mild damage to your kidneys. Your kidneys are still working well, so you may not have any symptoms. You may have other signs of kidney damage, such as protein in your urine.
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.
Exercise may help kidney health
Being active and having a healthy body weight is also important to kidney health. Some studies show kidney function improves with exercise. Talk with your healthcare professional or dietitian if you need to lose weight.
It depends on the cause and stage. Getting blood tests to measure your kidney function (creatinine and GFR) can help your doctor see the trend. The poorer the control of you health issues, the faster CKD is likely to progress. An example.
Increases in urine output—urine output is a key indicator of kidney health. While too little or no urine output is a sign of kidney injury or kidney damage, an increase in urine output after AKI or AKF can be a sign that your kidneys are recovering.
Urine Tests
One of the earliest signs of kidney disease is when protein leaks into your urine (called proteinuria). To check for protein in your urine, a doctor will order a urine test.
High blood pressure: High blood pressure occurs when your blood pressure against the walls of your blood vessels increases. If uncontrolled or poorly controlled, high blood pressure can be a leading cause of heart attacks, strokes, and chronic kidney disease.
Damage to your kidneys cannot be reversed, but you can keep it from getting worse. By following your treatment plan and making healthy life changes, you can help keep your kidneys working for as long as possible.
Having kidney failure means that 85-90% of your kidney function is gone, and they don't work well enough to keep you alive. There is no cure for kidney failure, but it is possible to live a long life with treatment.
However, CKD becomes more common with increasing age. After the age of 40, kidney filtration begins to fall by approximately 1% per year. In addition to the natural aging of the kidneys, many conditions that damage the kidneys are more common in older people including diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease.
People with kidney failure may survive days to weeks without dialysis, depending on the amount of kidney function they have, how severe their symptoms are, and their overall medical condition. Is death from kidney failure painful? Not usually. If you do feel any discomfort, pain medication may be prescribed for you.
Changes in urine color, transparency, and smell
A pinkish or reddish hue may indicate the presence of blood in the urine, while a greenish tone could be a sign of a bacterial infection. Cloudy non-transparent urine may be another sign of infection, but it may also suggest an abnormal level of salts in the liquid.
Dialysis to remove toxins from your blood.
If toxins build up in your blood, you may need temporary hemodialysis — often referred to simply as dialysis — to help remove toxins and excess fluids from your body while your kidneys heal. Dialysis may also help remove excess potassium from your body.
You may be able to improve your GFR somewhat by changing your lifestyle. Keep in mind that there's no cure for CKD. But healthy habits may slow the progression of the disease. Because diabetes and high blood pressure are the main causes of CKD, it's vital to keep both under control.
Eat a kidney-friendly diet and exercise regularly.
Regular exercise and maintaining a healthy weight are also effective ways to help manage your disease progression.