📄 Chronic Kidney Disease and End Stage Renal Disease
The top two causes of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in adults are diabetes and high blood pressure (hypertension). Both conditions can be medically managed and mitigated; such intervention is crucial to reducing individuals’ risk of developing CKD.
The causes in children vary by age; those from birth to early teens usually have cystic, hereditary, or congenital disease. From 15-19 years, the cause of CKD is most often glomerulonephritis.
CKD can lead to numerous health problems, such as anemia, cardiac complications, bone loss, and death.
Ways to mitigate the complications of CKD include addressing the underlying causes by ensuring that individuals with diabetes and/or hypertension receive treatment and properly manage the disease(s).
Left untreated, CKD can develop into end stage renal disease (ESRD), which requires constant treatment known as dialysis therapy. This therapy involves artificially cleaning wastes from the blood with special medical equipment. Another treatment option for individuals with ESRD is kidney transplantation.
Most patients with ESRD receive dialysis either at a dialysis center or at home.
Transplantation is limited by the number of available kidneys, suitable donors, and the medical condition of the potential recipients
Nephrology nurses play a key role in providing dialysis and related care and treatment to individuals with CKD and ESRD.
The kidneys also play important roles in sustaining the skeletal system and producing red blood cells. Impaired kidney function causes a host of health problems in virtually every organ system and imposes significant costs on individuals and society.
Patients with diabetes have significant vascular or blood vessel disease, contributing to the development of heart disease and stroke, as well as blindness and lower extremity amputations. Diabetes was the seventh leading cause of death.
