Kidney damage is either functional or structural with or without reduction in Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR) as identified by any one or all of three criteria for a duration of three months or more.
1. Abnormal gross or microscopic pathology.
2. Laboratory indicators mentioned in Kidney Function Test
3. GFR less than 60ml/min/1.73m in the absence of any other renal abnormality (for Indians, the level may be 45ml/min/1.73m),(vegetarians have lower GFR than non vegetarians)
The doctor who treats Chronic Kidney Disease is known as Nephrologist. For diagnosis of Chronic Kidney Disease, the Doctor may do the following:
- Calculate the patient’s Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR), which is the best way to tell the stage of kidney functioning. Doctor can calculate GFR from blood creatinine, age, race, gender and other factors. GFR and Albumin creatinine ratio (ACR) tells the doctor the stage of kidney disease and helps the doctor plan treatment of CKD.
- Perform an ultrasound or CT scan to get a picture of your kidneys and urinary tract. This tells your doctor whether your kidneys are too large or too small, whether you have a problem like a kidney stone or tumor and whether there are any problems in the structure of your kidneys and urinary tract.
- Perform a kidney biopsy, which is done in some cases to check for a specific type of kidney disease, see how much kidney damage has occurred and help plan treatment. To do a biopsy, the doctor removes small pieces of kidney tissue and looks at them under a microscope.