Are my kidneys working?

 

KIDNEY’S WORK AND HEALTH

You must have read “The kidneys are one of the most essential organs in the body which has a significant role in processing the body.” Somewhere once in your life.

The basics we all know are that kidneys help to regulate the whole body with a precise role and the main functions include:

  • To regulate the hormones.
  • Produce the urine. 
  • The only organ that is responsible for removing the extra fluid and waste from the body.

Everybody must know, the important things are more likely to have the highest risk. So, have you ever wondered, what it would be like if you could find out the present condition of our kidneys? 

Knowing the exact condition of your body can solve half of the issue. It gives you the chance to maintain your lifestyle and improve your habits for your health.

As the initial stage of kidney disease can be cured with a little treatment, knowing the working condition of your kidneys would be a fantabulous step to take.

TO KNOW KIDNEY HEALTH

We all know how healthy kidneys work for the body and a slight change or an abnormality can show the condition of the kidneys. The basic tests conducted to know the condition of the kidneys are:

  • Blood tests 
  • Urine tests 

These are two common methods to check the condition of the kidneys. The blood test includes serum creatinine and glomerular filtration rate.

Serum creatinine

It is a type of blood test that helps to determine the level of creatinine, a waste product in the muscles, in the blood. In this test, the level of creatinine present in the blood is measured based on 

  • Age
  • Sex and 
  • Muscles. 

Steps are followed below:

  • The blood sample goes under observation in a lab.
  • In most cases a layman cannot understand the language of the report.
  • You can just keep in mind that the result of the test is measured and written like mg/dL. 
  • You don’t need to worry if you do not know the meaning.
  • The standard level is classified on the basis of gender. 
  • For females, it is 0.6 to 1.1 mg/dL and for males, it is 0.7 to 1.3 mg/dL. 
  • It’s your doctor’s job to tell you everything about your report .
  • However, you can keep this normal level of creatinine in mind and the rest will be informed by your kidney centre. 
  • Also, the high level of creatinine indicates that the kidneys are not working properly. 
  • In such cases, your doctor will take some other tests.

Estimated glomerular filtration (eGFR)

You all know that filtering the blood and removing the waste product is the most important function of the kidneys. The filtration rate which indicates the working condition of the kidneys is known as the glomerular filtration rate.

  • The test measures the amount of blood passing through the glomeruli.
  • Glomeruli is a cluster of capillaries responsible for filtering waste in the blood, each minute. 

There is a different level for eGFR rate:

In level 1. Less than or equal to 90 is considered a normal kidney that works well.

In level 2. eGFR between 60 to 89 means kidney is slightly damaged.

In level 3. When the eGFR comes under 45 to 59, it is considered as moderate kidney damage.

In level 4. The kidney damage can be severe with 30 to 44 eGFR.

In level 5. In this stage the eGFR is between 15 to 29, which means the kidney is severely damaged

In level 6. The eGFR goes under 15 or equals to 15, this is the stage of kidney failure

How to calculate eGFR?

The Cockcroft-Gault formula reads: GFR estimate = (140 − age (years) × weight (kg) × constant/serum creatinine(μmol/L)The published constants are 1.23 for males of any age, and 1.05 for females of any age.