Is kidney disease the same as kidney failure?

In this article, we will look at the difference between kidney disease and kidney failure with a focus on kidney failure.

Kidney Failure

Kidney failure is the term used to describe the condition when your kidneys are no longer doing their vital job of removing waste matter from your body. A person with 15 to 0 percent of their kidney function is in kidney failure or as it is also known ESRD (End Stage Kidney Disease)

Kidney Disease

You may have kidney disease that is under medical supervision and control you also may be faced with Kidney Failure in the future. So having an understanding of the difference between kidney disease and kidney failure will be a powerful tool in your battle.

Kidney Disease is broken down into 5 stages, rated from 1 to 5 with stage 5 being the most serious stage. A person in stage 2 of kidney disease is truly in a stage of kidney failure as the kidneys are not functioning to their fullest but medically is still classified as stage 2 kidney disease. A person in stage 4 of kidney disease is now classified as a person with kidney failure.

To read our article on Kidney Disease: https://www.kidneyconversations.info/post/what-is-kidney-failure

Understanding the stages of Kidney Disease

Understanding how the kidney works

The function of the kidneys can be looked at as a funnel. If we take a funnel and place a small pebble down it the water at the top will still pass through although being slowed a small amount. This example would be like stage 1 of kidney disease.

As we drop more and more pebbles down the funnel more blockage will occur causing none of the water to pass through the funnel the funnel would fail and no longer work this example would be stage 5 of kidney failure.

Treatments of Kidney Failure

There are only two treatments for Kidney Failure both are considered lifesaving treatment

1. Kidney Transplant – When in kidney failure or just before reaching the stage of kidney failure a person could receive a transplant from either a friend, family member or even a stranger called a Living Kidney Donor.

Also, the patient could receive a kidney from someone who recently passed away. This type of transplant is called a cadaver kidney.

2. The other form of treatment is Kidney Dialysis which is a cleaning of the toxins in the body through one of two ways Hemo Dialysis or peritoneal dialysis.

Hemo Dialysis in short is a cleaning of the patient’s blood.

Peritoneal Dialysis is when fluid is added to the peritoneal cavity in basic terms the stomach of the patient.

With only two current treatments of kidney failure, it is important to understand the stages of kidney disease. You and your medical team will be controlled and manage your progress to make living with kidney disease easier, also don’t forget to educate yourself as you are your best advocate.

In conclusion kidney disease and kidney failure and similar but different. Kidney Failure means just that the kidneys have failed completely with treatment being the only way for patients to stay alive. Be sure to come back for more information and education.

“NOTE Please speak to your General Care Physician about any questions about your health this article is and was written as an informational guide NOT in any form given as medical advice. It is important and advised to speak with your medical team for proper diagnoses”