Chronic Kidney Disease: Presentation, Diagnosis, and Patient Factors

Chronic Kidney Disease
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Chronic Kidney Disease
Chronic kidney disease is (CKD) a condition that is characterized by slow but steady loss of important kidney functions such as removal of wastes and water from the body over time. As the CKD gets worse, there will be more wastes accumulating in the blood which may result in diseases such as blood pressure, anemia and other conditions such as weakening of the nerves. The study shows that 26 million American adults are suffering from CKD while many other millions are at risk. Knowing the clinical presentation of this disease enables early detection and treatment so as to reduce deaths that could result from the effects of the condition. Therefore, this paper seeks to establish the clinical presentations, diagnosis and the impacts of patient factors on diagnosis and treatment of CKD.
Clinical Presentation of Chronic Kidney Disease
Most people may not show any clinical symptoms of CKD until the disease proceeds to an advanced level. Nevertheless, there are some common clinical presentations that may be noticed and can suggest the manifestation of the disease (Jha, Iseki, Naicker, Plattner, & Yang, 2013). These include; excessive thirst due to lack of water re-absorption, swollen feet and ankles as a result of inadequate blood supply, darkening of the skin, frequent hiccups, bone pain, dry and itchy skin, urge for more urination which mostly occurs at night, feeling more tired and high fatigue, reduced concentration or thinking, shortness of breath, traces of blood in urine, muscle cramps and erectile dysfunctioning in men (Jha, Iseki, Naicker, Plattner, & Yang, 2013). There are other symptoms that may occur such as headaches, loss of appetite, weight loss and nausea. These symptoms will suggest that a patient may be suffering from CKD and will have to see a doctor for blood or urine test to confirm the disease (McMahon, Preis, Hwang, & Fox, 2014). It is important to note that these symptoms do not appear at initial stages of the disease development since the body is still able to cope with the reduction in functions of the kidney and therefore as soon as one notes the symptoms it is good to seek medical attention immediately since the disease will be getting towards advanced stages (Tsai, et al., 2014).
Diagnosis of CKD
Diagnosis of CKD involves certain tests and procedures such as blood tests, urine tests, imaging tests and kidney biopsy. Blood tests entail checking for the levels of waste products in the blood (Tsai, et al., 2014). The most common waste products being investigated are creatinine and urea. Urine tests are carried out to determine the levels of protein such as albumin in urine. Urine tests help in determining the cause of CKD (McMahon, Preis, Hwang, & Fox, 2014). Imaging tests such as ultrasounds or CT scan are used to view the size of the kidneys, whether abnormal in and size and to check for other problems such as tumors and kidney stones. Kidney biopsy involves removal of kidney tissue which is examined to ascertain the cause of kidney disease (Williams, Mesidor, Dubbert, & Wyatt, 2015).
Additionally, there are other factors that play vital roles in the diagnosis of CKD such as pati...