Understanding Chronic Kidney Disease

Understand your kidney test results. Know what to ask at your next appointment.

A diagnosis of chronic kidney disease can leave you with a page of numbers and more questions than you had before. What does eGFR mean? Why is your care team checking your urine? Which food changes apply to you? And what should you ask about now, even if dialysis or transplant hasn't come up?

Understanding Chronic Kidney Disease gives patients and families a plain-English route through those questions. It starts with what the kidneys do and how clinicians assess kidney function, then connects the results on your lab report with the decisions you and your care team may face.

• Make sense of the numbers. Get familiar with eGFR, creatinine, urine protein, and CKD stages so you can ask what your results mean for you and what your team is watching over time.
• Connect daily care to the bigger picture. Explore the roles of blood pressure, diabetes, and medicines, with prompts for discussing goals and follow-up at your appointments.
• Ask better questions about food. Learn why sodium, protein, potassium, and phosphorus may come up in a kidney nutrition conversation, and use the shopping and meal-planning tools to organize questions for your clinician or renal dietitian.
• Understand the options if care needs change. Read about hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, transplant evaluation, and conservative management. The book explains what preparation can involve and gives families a place to begin the conversation.

Use the symptom and blood pressure logs to record what you notice, the lab tracker to keep results together, and the appointment pages to write down questions, answers, and next steps. A glossary makes it easier to look up an unfamiliar term after a visit.

Whether you've just heard the words "chronic kidney disease" or you're helping someone prepare for a treatment decision, start with the chapter that answers your most pressing question. Bring what you learn back to your care team so you can discuss the choices that apply to you.