How Long Will Stage 3 CKD Turn Into Stage 5

When people are told that they are stage 3 kidney disease, they are worried how long will it take to develop into stage 5, when will dialysis be started and what will happen to them with end stage kidney disease and dialysis.

The length of time it takes to progress from stage 3 CKD into stage 5 CKD depends on many factors. It can be months or many years or some patients will not turn into end stage kidney disease in their lifetime. Many factors can affect the decline rate of kidney functions among which the underlying cause of kidney problem how is it managed count the most. If the underlying cause can be well controlled, the illness progression can be much slowed or even stoped and patients can stay in this stage for years. However in some cases the underlying cause can not be controlled or patients do not know what caused their kidney disease, in such cases illness may will experience continuous deterioration or even rapidly progress into the final stage and begin dialysis.

The measuring of GFR (glomerular filtration rate) can best reflect kidney functions. Stage 3 CKD has GFR of 30-59 and stage 5 CKD has GFR below 15. The progression of CKD is closely related to the decline rate of GFR.

With timely and effective treatment, it is not definite that stage 3 CKD (chronic kidney disease) will progress into end stage or at least the progression can be much slowed and dialysis will be delayed and life expectancy can be prolonged.

For stage 3 CKD patients, they need to bring their blood pressure and blood sugar level well under control because kidney disease patients often have elevated blood pressure and blood sugar which will in turn worsen renal functions and speed up illness progression. Hypertension and diabetes are also the leading cause of CKD especially in developed countries.

Besides, getting rid of unhealthy lifestyles such as smoking, drinking, high-salty eating habits and consult a nephrologist and dietitians for a personalized treatment and diet plans will be helpful. But you need not to worry that much because negative emotions are not good for the kidney health, anyway it usually takes years to develop into ESRD from the 3th stage.