About Kidney Disease

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) pertains to the progressive and usually permanent loss of kidney functioning over time. This often happens gradually, over a period of months or several years. CKD is divided into five stages of increasing severity. Stage 5 Chronic Kidney Disease is also known as End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD), when there is total or near-total loss of kidney functioning and patients need dialysis or transplantation to stay alive. When kidney disease reaches chronic levels -- with a loss of functioning of up to 85 percent -- patients undergo dialysis to replace some of the functions of healthy kidneys.