As indicated earlier that this disease rarely shows any symptoms. Tests are the only way to find out if you have this disease. The following tests may help uncover this disease:

GFR – (Glomerular Filtration Rate) indicate:

• How well your kidneys clean your blood
• Value from creatinine will help calculate the estimated GFR
• A normal GFR is between 90 – 130, it may drop as you get older.
• A value below 60 suggests that there may be some kidney damage. GFR is an estimate of how well the kidneys are doing. The value over 60 does not mean the kidneys are perfectly fine, your doctor may look at other tests to find if you may have kidney disease.

Stages of CKD:

Urine Test:

• Kidney damage can cause protein to leak into the urine. This protein is called “albumin”
• A 24 hrs urine test

Blood Pressure:

• High blood pressure can cause kidney disease
• Kidney disease can also cause you to have high blood pressure

Blood Glucose (Sugar) Test:

• Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure – must have the test done
• If the blood sugar is too high -  it may be a sign of diabetes

Kidney Biopsy:

• A tiny piece of kidney tissue is examined under a microscope

Imaging Tests:

• Examples are ultrasound scan, CT (computed tomography) scans and MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)