How Long Can You Stay in Stage 3 Kidney Disease?

If you have reached stage 3 chronic kidney disease, it means you have moderate kidney damage, and you will also start experiencing physical symptoms. How long you can stay in stage 3 kidney disease is a crucial question as it can prevent your condition from deteriorating and improve your quality of life despite the illness. The experienced and board-certified nephrologists at the Century Medical and Dental Center can help prevent and slow down disease progression with personalized treatment plans, lifestyle changes, and healthy choices. Kidney damage cannot be reserved, and you will have to make certain adjustments in life to avoid renal failure and serious consequences. The top nephrology doctors recommend the best ways to keep your condition in check and decrease the risk of complications such as heart disease, anemia, and bone weakness.

Kidney disease is a severe condition in which your kidneys slowly start to fail, and their functions decline steadily. It leads to a buildup of harmful elements in the blood that are regularly filtered through the kidneys when they function well. If the kidney disease is not taken care of timely and it progresses to kidney failure, you will eventually need to get dialysis or a kidney transplant to live.

Stage 3 CKD is often first detected once a person starts experiencing symptoms of this condition. It means that your kidney functions are already reduced by half, and by this time, most patients are likely to experience ancillary problems like high blood pressure or bone difficulties.

Impact of Kidney Disease on Your Health

Having kidney disease is not a good sign. Depending upon how far your renal disease has progressed, you will fit into one of the five stages measured by your glomerular filtration rate, also known as the GFR. Having diagnosed with a stage 3 kidney disease means you will have a GFR between 30 and 59 which is not a good sign.

Most people who have stage 3 kidney disease will not have any symptoms. If you do, they may manifest as swelling in your hands or feet, back pain, or irregular urination problems. The more harmful symptoms of kidney disease at this stage are the health implications of the declining kidney function that can be irreversible, such as high blood pressure, bone diseases, and anemia.

Can Stage 3 Kidney Disease Be Reversed?

According to health experts, stage 3 is irreversible. The good news is that most patients do not progress to the more severe stages with timely diagnosis, proper care and medication. At this stage, the goal of treatment is to stop the kidneys from heading towards complete failure and loss of life.

There is no way to cure or reverse chronic kidney disease at stage 3, but you can keep it from progressing to stages 4 and 5. You can prevent the progress of the disease by working with a specialist doctor and your primary care doctor who guide you in the right direction. Diet, lifestyle changes, and other adjustments can help you live better despite kidney disease.

Life Expectancy for Stage 3 Kidney Disease

Knowing how long you can stay in stage 3 kidney disease is essential as it can help manage your condition better and live a better quality of life without suffering from severe symptoms. Fortunately, stage 3 CKD has a longer life expectancy than more advanced stages, which means it is easier to live with it as compared to them.

Estimates can also vary based on age and lifestyle. Healthcare experts believe that the average life expectancy is 24 years in men above 40 and 28 in women of the same age group. Along with the overall life expectancy, it is essential to consider your risk of disease progression. Research shows that about half of patients of stage 3 CKD progressed to a more advanced stage during 10 years.

Some people also end up with complications from CKD, such as cardiovascular disease that affects their overall life expectancy.

What to Expect During Stage 3 Kidney Failure?

Stage 3 kidney disease does not necessarily lead to stage 4 kidney disease or mortality, but it can take you closer to it than not having a kidney condition at all.

People with stage 3 kidney disease do not feel any severe symptoms. It is the right time to reevaluate your habits, make treatment plans with your nephrologist and focus on staying healthy. The most important factors that can keep you going are keeping your medical appointments, taking the medications regularly as recommended by the doctor, and monitoring your blood pressure and sugar levels to ensure there are no complications.

How Fast Does Stage 3 Ckd Progress?

The progression of stage 3 kidney disease depends on several factors that vary from individual to individual. The factors include:

• Age
• Health
• Underlying diagnosis
• Implementation and success of secondary preventative measures

Studies are underway to learn how kidney disease progresses to kidney failure and how soon it can be predicted, or stopped. The following factors are known to play a significant role in the faster progression of the disease:

• Lower estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR)
• Higher albuminuria
• Younger age
• Male sex

It was found that people with lower serum albumin, calcium, and bicarbonate level and higher serum phosphate levels could be at higher risk of developing kidney disease.

How to Slow the Progression of Kidney Disease

The following steps can help you prevent kidney disease or slow its progression in any of the five stages of CKD:

• Medical attention – Make a treatment plan with your nephrologist, including a schedule of how often you should get yourself checked.
• Treatment of underlying health issues – Manage other medical conditions, such as diabetes and high blood pressure, by taking good care of yourself. High blood pressure ranges can worsen your symptoms. Aim for a blood pressure of 140/90 and below – If you suffer from any of these, ask your doctor about which blood pressure medicines you should take that keep the kidney disease from worsening.
• Healthy diet – Eating a kidney-friendly diet and keeping an eye on your intake of protein, phosphorus, potassium, and sodium can keep your condition is in control. A renal dietitian can help you determine the best diet for your health.
• Keeping a balanced weight – Being overweight can lead to high blood pressure, heart disease, and kidney-related complications. Ask your doctor about how you can maintain a balanced weight.
• Quitting smoking and tobacco usage – Talk to your doctor about the best methods for quitting smoking and tobacco usage.
• Stress management – Stress can harm your health, and you must learn about techniques such as exercise, meditation, or sleep to manage your issues the right way.
• Workout and exercise – At least 30 minutes of moderate exercise every day on most days of the week can help you stay healthy and manage kidney problems.

When diagnosed and managed the right way, you can live a longer, fuller life than more advanced stages of kidney disease. Work closely with your healthcare provider to learn what you can do to make this period easy and ensure long-term wellness.

Kidneys perform vital functions that are necessary for life and normal body processes. Do not take stage 3 kidney disease lightly, as any damage to this small but essential organ can affect significant body procedures that interfere with your overall health and wellbeing. Early detection and treatment can significantly slow the progression of CKD even if you already have it. The expert nephrologists at the Century Medical and Dental Center can diagnose your condition accurately and recommend the best treatments to manage your disease and keep it from worsening. They monitor your progress and kidney condition to ensure there is no cause for concern and take timely decisions regarding your health.