At what stage of kidney disease should you see a nephrologist?

At what stage of kidney disease should you see a nephrologist?

Consultation and/or comanagement with a kidney disease care team is advisable for patients with stage 3 CKD (GFR, 30-59 mL/min/1.73 m2). All patients with a GFR of less than 30 mL/min per 1.73 m2 (stages 4-5) should be referred to a nephrologist.

Does kidney function get worse with age?

But wait a minute. Kidney function declines with age in almost everyone, and the proportion of older people with G.F.R. readings below 60 approaches 50 percent, studies have found. As the older adult population grows, the prevalence may rise even higher.

Who is the best nephrologist in the world?

Michael Aaronson is a nephrologist who blogs at his self-titled blog, Michael L. Aaronson M.D. Submit a guest post and be heard on social media’s leading physician voice. Are our privacy rules robust enough to protect our patients?

When to see a nephrologist for kidney problems?

When to see a nephrologist. Testing can detect signs of decreasing kidney function, such as a decreasing GFR value or an increase in the level of albumin in your urine. If your test results indicate rapid or continuing deterioration of kidney function, your doctor may refer you to a nephrologist.

Who is the best doctor for kidney disease?

Veeraish Chauhan, MD, FACP, FASN, is a board-certified nephrologist who treats patients with kidney diseases and related conditions. Jamin Brahmbhatt, MD, is board-certified in urology.

When to see a nephrologist for CKD stage 4?

The time it’s best to see a nephrologist can certainly vary depending on your particular conditions. That said, you should ideally be seen by a nephrologist once your creatinine is high enough to be called CKD Stage 4. That would mean a GFR of less than 30. Seeing a nephrologist is vital.

Can a nephrologist not do dialysis for kidney disease?

This creates the impression that the patient will be left to die. However, “not doing dialysis”, is not, and should not be tantamount to “not doing anything”. Nephrologists can still focus their efforts to treat symptoms of advanced kidney disease medically and do everything possible, short-of-dialysis, to make patients feel better.

When to see a nephrologist for CKD support?

Also, if you’re not already, have your primary care physician refer you to a nephrologist. A nephrologist should see you (at your barely stage 3 GFR) every four months and have visits preceded by lab tests: including a comprehensive metabolic panel, urinalysis, phosphorous, potassium, and PTH, among others.

Do you need to see a nephrologist for GFR?

That does sound unusual. GFR can fluctuate so you take those numbers with a grain of salt, but a fluctuation of 83 to 45 does not sound like something that could be explained away by standard deviation. Have you been referred to a nephrologist yet? If not, that should be your next step. You should get diagnosed. I hope that helps.

How are kidney failure patients measured without dialysis?

In 1949, Dr David Karnofsky described a scale (100 being a normal healthy person, and 0 implying death) that could be used to objectively measure the functional status of cancer patients. The scale has now been applied to measure the rate of functional decline of kidney failure patients who are managed conservatively without dialysis.