What is chronic renal failure?

Chronic renal failure is usually characterized by a progressive decline in renal function.

Causes of chronic kidney failure.

Chronic Glomerulonephritis
This is a non–infectious type of disease of the kidney. The symptoms are: Small volume of urine. Blood–stained urine. Protein in the urine. Body swelling. Chronic glomerulonephritis may have no symptoms for many years. High blood pressure.
Hypertension
Uncontrolled hypertension for many years can damage groups of blood vessels within the kidneys and cause kidney failure.
Diabetes Mellitus
Diabetes can damage the kidneys capacity to filter blood and excrete waste products in the urine. High levels of glucose make the kidney filter too much blood. This extra work load over a period of some years result in defective filtering capacity.
Chronic Kidney Infection
Long standing infections damage the structure of the kidneys. This damage reduces the kidney’s capacity to filter blood.
Obstructions Like Stone
Obstruction to the flow of urine leads to back pressure and cause damages the nephrons. This damage can be progressive and ultimately cause chronic kidney failure.
Medicines
Many medicines cause damage to the kidneys. The most dangerous medicines are Aspirin, Ibuprofen, and Antibiotics such as Sulpha drugs and Gentamicin.

If I have been diagnosed with chronic renal failure how often should I see the doctor?

It is very important that the patients with chronic renal failure should be seen by a nephrologist. Generally these patients should be seen at least once in every three months.

My doctor asked me to do a 24hr urine collection. What is this test used for?

This test is used for:
To estimate accurately how much protein is spilling into the urine.

The total amount of creatinine excreted in 24hrs is estimated. By measuring the serum creatinine simultaneously the clearance of creatinine is calculated by the formula:
Cr Clearance= (U X V) / P
U: Creatinine in urine
V: Volume of urine
P: Plasma creatinine.
This clearance gives an idea about the function of the kidney.

Is there an absolute level of creatinine for starting dialysis?

No. Since the serum creatinine level is a reflection of the muscle mass a variation can exist between different individuals. Malnourished patients will have lower creatinine levels for the same level of kidney function.

What kind of diet do patients of chronic renal failure have?

The proteins intake should be 0.6 gm of protein / kg of body weight/day. Moderate protein restriction has been shown to slow the progress of chronic renal failure.