Kidney Disease
How many people have establish Kidney Failure?
Around 3.5 million people in the UK have chronic kidney disease stage 3 to 5.
Around 1 or 2 people in every 100 people with chronic kidney disease stage 3A or 3B will go on to get established renal failure.
About 50,000 people in the UK have had kidney transplants, are having dialysis for established kidney failure, or are waiting for a kidney transplant.
Can I slow down the damage to my kidneys?
The most important thing you can do is to come to clinic appointments, no matter how you feel, and to keep taking any prescribed medications. You can also help by:
- keeping your blood pressure down
- healthy eating
- taking regular exercise
- giving up smoking
- reducing your alcohol intake
- if you are diabetic, getting your diabetes under control
We may also prescribe you some medications to help protect your kidneys and give you advice on avoiding medications that may further damage your kidneys. For a small percentage of patients who have more unusual causes of their kidney problem, there may be some additional, more specific treatments to help their kidneys, such as medications to suppress their immune system.
What will happen to me in the future?
Many people with CKD enjoy a good quality of life. However, no one can accurately predict the future. Your outlook will be affected by your age and whether you have other medical conditions, such as heart disease or diabetes. Statistics can give you a general indication about survival for patients with CKD, but these only give an average and do not reflect the outcome for each individual.
