Kidney Disease
About Your Kidneys
Your kidneys play a very important role in your daily life! 
Statistics About Kidney Disease
Millions of families see the effects of kidney and urinary tract diseases every year. The effects are widespread in this country and elsewhere. The following are some real-life statistics about kidney diseases (from the NKF and UNOS):
Regional Statistics
- 1,896 in East TN have to take dialysis to stay alive
- 912 of these people are in Knoxville, 361 are in the Tri-cities area, 623 in Chattanooga
- 606 have received transplants at UT Medical Center -- 129 were living donors; 777 were cadaveric donors
- 46 pediatric transplants have been done at UT Medical Center
- 103 people in East TN are on UT Medical Center's waiting list for a kidney
The Facts About Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)
- 26 million Americans - 1 in 8 US adults - have CKD and another 20 million more are at increased risk.
- Early detection can help prevent the progression of kidney disease to kidney failure.
- Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is the best estimate of kidney function.
- Hypertension causes CKD and CKD causes hypertension.
- Persistent proteinuria means CKD.
- High risk groups include those with diabetes, hypertension and family history of kidney disease.
- African Americans, Hispanics, Pacific Islanders, Native Americans and Seniors are at increased risk.
- Three simple tests can detect CKD: blood pressure, urine and serum creatinine.
What is Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)?
Chronic kidney disease includes conditions that damage your kidneys and decrease their ability to keep you healthy by doing the jobs listed. If kidney disease gets worse, wastes can build to high levels in your blood and make you feel sick. You may develop complications like high blood pressure, anemia (low blood count), weak bones, poor nutritional health and nerve damage. Also, kidney disease increases your risk of having heart and blood vessel disease. These problems may happen slowly over a long period of time. Chronic kidney disease may be caused by diabetes, high blood pressure and other disorders. Early detection and treatment can often keep chronic kidney disease from getting worse. When kidney disease progresses, it may eventually lead to kidney failure, which requires dialysis or a kidney transplant to maintain life. 
