Also known as chronic kidney failure, chronic kidney disease involves gradually losing kidney function. Kidneys filter excess fluids and waste from the blood through urine. When affected by kidney disease, the organs fail to eliminate the waste, resulting in the accumulation of toxins in the body. One may not experience any symptoms in the early stages. However, if detected, the treatment focuses on slowing the disease progression by addressing the cause.

Causes
Some of the primary causes of chronic kidney disease are:

High blood pressure: Also known as hypertension, this develops when the pressure of the blood against the vessel walls increases. If left unchecked, it might result in kidney disease, strokes, and heart attacks. Conversely, even chronic kidney disease can result in high blood pressure.

Diabetes: One is affected by diabetes when their blood sugar levels are too high. If left unchecked, diabetes might cause damage to various parts of the body, like blood vessels, the heart, kidneys, eyes, and nerves.

Hypertension and diabetes are the primary conditions responsible for approximately two-thirds of all chronic kidney disease cases. Additionally, the following factors also contribute to the risk of developing kidney problems:

1. Inherited diseases: Conditions like polycystic kidney disease are prevalent causes of kidney failure. PKD leads to large cysts in the kidney that damage the surrounding tissue.
2. Autoimmune diseases: Here, the immune system works against the body. One such disease is lupus nephritis, which causes inflammation, scarring, or swelling in the small blood vessels that filter the waste from the kidney.
3. Glomerulonephritis : This is a cluster of diseases that causes inflammation and hampers the kidney’s filtering units.
4. Urinary tract and kidney abnormalities: This includes malformations, which may develop when the baby is in the womb. For instance, a narrowing might develop, which intervenes with the natural outflow of urine, resulting in it flowing back to the kidney.