Chronic Kidney Disease and Stages

About Chronic Kidney Disease

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a disease whereby the kidneys have trouble removing waste products and fluid from the body. Usual causes of CKD include Diabetes Mellitus, high blood pressure and chronic glomerulonephritis. People with CKD often have no symptoms although the kidney function is severely affected.


CKD stages


The stages of CKD (Chronic Kidney Disease) are mainly based on measured or estimated GFR (Glomerular Filtration Rate). There are five stages but kidney function is normal in Stage 1, and minimally reduced in Stage 2.

The table below shows CKD and GFR for each stage:

Stage GFR* Description 1 With normal or high GFR 90+ Normal kidney function but tests show early signs of kidney damage 2 Mild CKD 60-89 Mildly reduced kidney function, test results point to some signs of kidney damage 3 Moderate CKD 30-59 Moderately reduced kidney function 4 Severe CKD 15-29 Severely reduced kidney function 5 End-stage CKD <15 or on dialysis Established kidney failure, kidney dialysis or transplant may be needed