Investigation and diagnosis

What should your GFR be at 70 years old? It may be 70-75 ml/min (+/- 10 ml/min) or less. This compares to the ‘normal’ level of 90-120 ml/min, according to the CKD/GFR classification. But that is a (scientific-ish) estimated average number for people of any age, gender and race. Therefore, not surprisingly, studies show approximately […]

How to check kidney blood tests at home – Patient Knows Best We recommend your join an excellent free web service called Patient Knows Best (PKB). It shows your latest blood test results. It can also show (for some people), your letters and medicines, plus information about your diagnoses and treatment. You can also set up

Debates in nephrology: CKD staging system Introduction In 2002, the US National Kidney Foundation (NKF) released a new classification of chronic kidney disease (CKD) (Levey et al, 2003). This classification system represented a new conceptual framework for the diagnosis of CKD, moving away from an diagnosis-based system to a scheme based on disease severity defined

An ultrasound scan uses ultrasound, or high-frequency sound waves, to create an image (picture) of part of the inside of your body, such as your kidney. It is used in many other branches of medicine to look at other internal organs (like the heart when it is called an echocardiogram, liver, or pelvic organs), or

What are the clinical findings of CKD patients? This article is primarily for health professionals. Often, in mild-moderate CKD (CKD1-2 and CKD3A), there is nothing to find. In 0ther words, the patient is normal. However, at later stages, there are typical clinical findings in CKD.   General Uraemic foetor: ammonia-like smell of the breath. This

Contrast nephropathy, also known as contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) or contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI), is a medical condition characterised by a rapid decline in kidney function that occurs shortly after the administration of a intravenous (IV) dye called ‘contrast media’. This is used in x-ray procedures like a computed tomogram (CT) scan, or an angiogram

What is a nuclear medicine renal (kidney) scan? In a nuclear medicine renal scan (or ‘renogram’), pictures are taken of radioactive substances going into the kidneys from the bloodstream, inside the kidneys, and into the bladder through the ureters (that join the kidneys to the bladder). A nuclear medicine renal scan uses radiopharmaceuticals (radioactive substances)