Chronic kidney disease is a problem many people face as they get older. The kidneys serve the crucial roles in the body of cleaning toxins and metabolic wastes and helping maintain the correct chemistry and pH in the blood.
If the kidneys begun to function less efficiently, it can cascade into further and much more serious problems in the body.
To oversimplify the process, the kidneys serve as a filter, cleaning out what the body does not need or want and keeping essential resources. This process is fulfilled by the nephrons, the functional unit of the kidneys.
In the average human being there are about 2.2 – 2.5 million nephrons between the two kidneys.
The first part of the nephron is called the glomerulus. It is a literal filter separating the larger structures in the blood such as red blood cells, white blood cells and larger protein from the fluid (plasma) and smaller molecules including wastes that are carried in the blood.
The filter allows the larger – and necessary molecules to be retained in the blood while filtering out allowing smaller wastes that pass into the nephron.
The amount of fluid that filters through the glomerulus per unit time is called the glomerular filtration rate (eGFR in medical terms) and is one of the major indicators of kidney disease. An eGFR of 90 or higher is considered healthy and means that a good amount of plasma is being filtered through the kidneys so they can function properly.
An eGFR of 60 – 89 means there is mild loss of function in the kidneys and is a sign that a serious problem may be developing. eGFRs of 30 – 59, 15 – 29 or below 15 demonstrate progressively worse functioning of the kidney and more serious disease.
While there are many possible causes to what may damage the filter in the glomerulus, high blood pressure and diabetes are two of the leading causes of chronic kidney disease. Chronic inflammation in the kidneys also damages nephrons over time and leaves behind only scar tissue.
