What is kidney disease?

Chronic kidney disease is a very common condition. Nearly 13% of the people in the U.S. suffer from it, but the majority of people who have it don't even know they have it. That is because the symptoms often only become obvious in the advanced stages of the disease.

Chronic kidney disease is the gradual loss of normal kidney function over a period of several months or years. Those with the disease are at a higher risk for premature death, heart attacks, strokes, anemia, bone disease, malnutrition and it often leads to kidney failure. Once your kidneys fail, they lose their ability to filter the blood, resulting in dangerous levels of fluid and waste accumulation. Unlike acute kidney failure, chronic kidney failure is irreversible.