Usually a creatinine level more than 1.2 for women and more than 1.4 for men may be a sign that the kidneys are not working like they should. If your serum creatinine test results are higher than normal, your doctor may want to run other tests.
At stage 4, severe kidney damage has happened. At this stage, it is very important to slow the loss of kidney function by following your treatment plan, and managing other problems like high blood pressure or heart disease. Stage 5 is kidney failure.
Life expectancy of an individual with stage 4 kidney disease depends on their current age and gender. For instance, males with stage 4 kidney disease have an average life expectancy of 14 years while women of the same age group will have an average life expectancy of 16 years.
Test results and stages of CKD
stage 1 (G1) – a normal eGFR above 90ml/min, but other tests have detected signs of kidney damage. stage 2 (G2) – a slightly reduced eGFR of 60 to 89ml/min, with other signs of kidney damage. stage 3a (G3a) – an eGFR of 45 to 59ml/min. stage 3b (G3b) – an eGFR of 30 to 44ml/min.
As mentioned before, stage 3 kidney disease can be managed efficiently when diagnosed early. Although it may be different for every patient since their lifestyle factors play an important role, the average life expectancy for people diagnosed at 40 is 28 years for women and 24 for men.
Kidney disease progresses at different rates for different people, and it can take between two and five years to pass between different stages. Kidney disease stages are measured by using a blood test to check the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR).
There is usually no cure for CKD, and you usually cannot reverse the kidney damage you already have by the time you get to stage 4 CKD. However, you can take steps to slow down the damage to your kidneys and help you feel your best.
You need dialysis if your kidneys no longer remove enough wastes and fluid from your blood to keep you healthy. This usually happens when you have only 10 to 15 percent of your kidney function left. You may have symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, swelling and fatigue.
Conclusions: About half of the patients with stage 3 CKD progressed to stage 4 or 5, as assessed by eGFR, over 10 years.
It's possible to live a long, healthy life even when you have stage four chronic kidney disease. Your quality of life is greatly impacted by your nutrition and lifestyle. Learn more about how you can improve your life with stage four chronic kidney disease.
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.
Creatinine levels above 1.3 mg/dL are considered high. However, creatinine values above 5.0 mg/dL in adults and 2.0 mg/dL in infants are considered abnormally high and signify severe kidney disorder.
Certain conditions may cause a person to have higher than normal levels of creatinine. People with only one kidney may have a normal creatinine level of about 1.8 or 1.9. Creatinine levels of 2.0 or more in infants and 5.0 or more in adults may indicate severe kidney damage.
Without dialysis or a kidney transplant, kidney failure is fatal. You may survive a few days or weeks without treatment. If you're on dialysis, the average life expectancy is five to 10 years. Some people can live up to 30 years on dialysis.
Dialysis is usually started as soon as the kidneys fail and the resulting typical symptoms occur. But as long as you don't have severe symptoms, you can wait before starting dialysis – that can help to prepare for it better.
Five decades ago, a failed kidney meant death was likely. These days, things are quite a bit different. According to the National Kidney Foundation, the average life expectancy for a patient on dialysis is 5-10 years. Though for someone between the ages of 70 and 74, life expectancy is closer to four years on dialysis.
If you are on a restricted fluid diet, you should include drinking coffee in your daily allowance. In summary, coffee is an acceptable beverage for kidney disease. If consumed in moderation it poses little risk for those with kidney disease.
For that reason, doctors also look into conditions that may make chronic kidney disease get worse faster – including heart disease, poorly regulated high blood pressure or diabetes.
To find out your stage of CKD, doctors will do tests, such as: eGFR tests (blood tests), which is a measure of how well your kidneys are working.