Every year, about 4 million people are diagnosed with kidney disease. Your kidneys are important organs that filter waste products and extra water out of your blood. When the kidneys are damaged, they can’t filter these waste products and get rid of the extra water. This causes the waste products to build up in the body.

It is important to get treatment for kidney disease as early as possible. The sooner you start treatment, the better your chances of avoiding chronic kidney disease or kidney failure. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is when the kidneys gradually stop working over years. Kidney failure is when the kidneys can no longer filter waste products from the blood on their own. In this case, a procedure called dialysis is necessary to perform this function. Sometimes, a person with kidney failure may need a kidney transplant.

Kidney disease increases your risk of getting cardiovascular disease (CVD), which affects the heart and blood vessels. CKD can cause CVD, and CVD can cause CKD. In fact, heart disease is the most common cause of death among people with kidney failure. When the kidneys can’t remove waste and extra water from the blood, the heart has to work very hard. This can lead to a heart attack, heart failure, coronary artery disease, arrhythmias and stroke.

 

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Living with Chronic Kidney Disease and Cardiovascular Disease Discussion Guide

 

 

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