Chronic Kidney Disease

Your kidneys normally filter your blood to remove waste products and extra fluid. With chronic kidney disease, the kidneys have not been working right, causing wastes to build up in your blood and make you sick.

Chronic kidney disease is also called chronic renal failure or chronic renal insufficiency.

How Chronic Kidney Disease is Diagnosed

Blood and urine tests can show signs of kidney disease and anemia, which can result from kidney damage. Chronic kidney disease is diagnosed by measuring how well your kidneys are working using a glomerular filtration rate (GFR). A blood test shows your blood creatinine levels, which are then used to calculate your GFR. Sometimes an ultrasound or CT scan is also required. There are five stages of kidney disease, from kidney damage with normal GFR to kidney failure.


What Causes Chronic Kidney Disease?

Most commonly, chronic kidney disease is caused by uncontrolled high blood pressure or high blood sugar from uncontrolled type 1 or type 2 diabetes.

Other diseases and infections (like polycystic kidney disease, pyelonephritis and glomerulonephritis) can also cause chronic kidney disease. Sometimes congenital kidney problems or damaged renal arteries can also cause chronic kidney disease.

Some medications can also damage the kidneys when used long-term, including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as celecoxib and ibuprofen.


What are the symptoms?

Symptoms of chronic kidney disease can be silent for many years. As kidney function worsens, symptoms become more noticeable. You may realize you are urinating less, feeling fatigued and losing your appetite. Sometimes people notice swelling from fluid that builds up in our tissues. You might also feel nauseous, have headaches and have difficulty sleeping.


Treatments

Medications and lifestyle changes can help to slow or stop kidney damage from chronic kidney disease. When an underlying condition like high blood pressure or diabetes is causing kidney damage, it’s important to treat those conditions first. Losing weight and exercising more can help. You may need a diet that’s lower in sodium, and to watch how much fluid you drink. You should also not drink alcohol or smoke if you have chronic kidney disease.

Patients with advanced stage kidney disease may require a kidney transplant or dialysis treatments.


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Meet our Chronic Kidney Disease Specialists:

David Bennett

 

Nephrology

Nephrology Associates, PC
Trumbull, CT 06611
Kostas Papamarkakis

 

Nephrology

Starling Physicians
Enfield, CT 06082
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Feras Al Shami

 

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Saqib Inayatullah

 

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Medical Group Southeastern Connecticut Nephrology Associates, PC
Uncasville, CT 06382
Tatiana Tumeniuk

 

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Physicians Alliance of Connecticut, LLC
Orange, CT 06477
Mary Tantoco

 

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Medical Group Southeastern Connecticut Nephrology Associates, PC
Uncasville, CT 06382
Janyna Healy

 

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Physicians Alliance of Connecticut, LLC
Orange, CT 06477
Eric English

 

Nephrology

Physicians Alliance of Connecticut, LLC
Orange, CT 06477
Kuljit Kaur

 

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Southeastern Connecticut Nephrology Associates, PC
Uncasville, CT 06382
Andrew Donati

 

Nephrology

Connecticut Kidney and Hypertension Specialists
Waterbury, CT 06708
Sylvia Wu

 

Nephrology

Nephrology Associates, PC
Trumbull, CT 06611
Sylvester Dorobisz

 

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Physicians Alliance of Connecticut, LLC
West Haven, CT 06516
Roopkiranjot Kahlon

 

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Connecticut Nephrology Associates, LLC
Meriden, CT 06451
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Wallingford, CT 06492
Scott Benson

 

Nephrology

Starling Physicians at Hartford Hospital
Hartford, CT 06106
Suzzunne DeCruz

 

Nephrology

Physicians Alliance of Connecticut, LLC
Orange, CT 06477
Maria Everhart-Caye

 

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Starling Physicians at Hartford Hospital
Hartford, CT 06106
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Wethersfield, CT 06109
Altaf Rasool

 

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Medical Group Backus Hospital - Main
Norwich, CT 06360
Sandeep Tiyyagura

 

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Associated Specialists in Nephrology and Hypertension, LLC
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Aaron Dommu

 

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Nephrology Associates, PC
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Jeffrey Laut

 

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Starling Physicians at Hartford Hospital
Hartford, CT 06106
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Hartford, CT 06106
Sanjay Fernando

 

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Starling Physicians
New Britain, CT 06051
Wilner Samson

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Medical Group Hartford HealthCare HealthCenter
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Kory Tray

 

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Starling Physicians - Nephrology
Bloomfield, CT 06002
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Wethersfield, CT 06109
Robert Kim

 

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Nephrology Associates, PC
Trumbull, CT 06611
Bayode Afolalu

 

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Physicians Alliance of Connecticut, LLC
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Mihaela Negulescu

 

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Southeastern Connecticut Nephrology Associates, PC
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Xiaoyi Ye

 

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Hartford Hospital Transplant & Comprehensive Liver Center
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William Handelman

 

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Connecticut Kidney and Hypertension Specialists
Torrington, CT 06790
James Gavin

 

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Nephrology Associates, PC
Trumbull, CT 06611
Joseph Singh

 

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Starling Physicians at Hartford Hospital
Hartford, CT 06106
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Hartford, CT 06106
Enfield, CT 06082
Nasser Shirazi

 

Nephrology

Connecticut Nephrology Associates, LLC
Meriden, CT 06451
Matthew Carley

 

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Starling Physicians at Hartford Hospital
Hartford, CT 06106
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Avon, CT 06001
Thomas Peter

 

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Medical Group Southeastern Connecticut Nephrology Associates, PC
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Ramkumar Sankaran

 

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Medical Group Hartford HealthCare HealthCenter
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Jarrod Post

 

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Starling Physicians at Hartford Hospital
Hartford, CT 06106
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Wethersfield, CT 06109
Henry Ward

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Cardiovascular Medicine

Medical Group Hartford HealthCare Heart & Vascular Institute
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David Simon

 

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Physicians Alliance of Connecticut, LLC
Orange, CT 06477
Mark Hotchkiss

 

Nephrology

Physicians Alliance of Connecticut, LLC
Orange, CT 06477
Jeffrey Reynolds

 

Nephrology

Physicians Alliance of Connecticut, LLC
Orange, CT 06477
Adam Goldstein

 

Nephrology

Starling Physicians
New Britain, CT 06051
Irfan Chughtai

 

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Connecticut Nephrology Associates, LLC
Meriden, CT 06451
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Wallingford, CT 06492
Alma Sabovic

 

Nephrology

Connecticut Nephrology Associates, LLC
Meriden, CT 06451
Alfred Vichot

 

Nephrology

Starling Physicians
Wethersfield, CT 06109
Rebecca Kent

 

Nephrology

Starling Physicians at Hartford Hospital
Hartford, CT 06106
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Hartford, CT 06106
Bridgeport, CT 06606
Joseph Tremaglio

 

Nephrology

Starling Physicians at Hartford Hospital
Hartford, CT 06106
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Hartford, CT 06106
Farmington, CT 06032
Bloomfield, CT 06002
Sarah Khan

 

Nephrology

Soundview Medical Associates, LLC
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Shehryar Ashraf

 

Nephrology

Connecticut Nephrology Associates, LLC
Meriden, CT 06451
Zeynep Ebcioglu

 

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Hartford Hospital Transplant & Comprehensive Liver Center
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George Pazhayattil

 

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Connecticut Kidney and Hypertension Specialists
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Krishna Sury

 

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Charlotte Hungerford Hospital - Main
Torrington, CT 06790
Peter Chuang

 

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Physicians Alliance of Connecticut, LLC
Orange, CT 06477
Patricia Borrelli

 

Nephrology

Physicians Alliance of Connecticut, LLC
Orange, CT 06477
Nia Flemming

 

Nephrology

Connecticut Nephrology Associates, LLC
Meriden, CT 06451
Chatram Mahabal

 

Nephrology

Southeastern Connecticut Nephrology Associates, PC
Uncasville, CT 06382
Allaa Almoushref

 

Nephrology

Starling Physicians at Hartford Hospital
Hartford, CT 06106
Nataliia Dyatlova

 

Nephrology

Physicians Alliance of Connecticut, LLC
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Terrence Oder

 

Nephrology

Starling Physicians
Farmington, CT 06032
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