My doctor said this is nothing to worry about however the report says:
An eGFR from 60-89 ml/min/1.73 m2 is consistent
with mildly decreased kidney function. However,
in the absence of other evidence of kidney
disease, eGFR values in this range do not fulfill
the KDIGO criteria for chronic kidney disease.
Interpret results in concert with ACR measurement.
Kidney.orghttps://www.kidney.org/atoz/content/gfr says this could be stage 2 “Kidney damage with mild loss of kidney function”. That doesn’t sound good to me. Should I be worried about this??? Should I get further testing or should I relax?
I did ask my doctor and she said it’s nothing to worry about. But she’s very laid back and I was curious if there were other perspectives out there.
I see. If I were you, I’d seek a second medical opinion. If I felt my doctor didn’t take my health seriously, i.e., “laid back,” I’d seek another doctor. There’s a lot of smart people here, but, jeez, a kidney’s a kidney.
That’s not a normal result while on keto, I also suggest a second opinion, it can be caused by several things.
I while back I had a similar result (before keto), with no symptoms on my part, my doctor got preocupied and asked for more tests, I had a serious kidney infection (demonstrated with urine tests and ultrasound) that luckily resolved itself, but it was already afecting my kidney function…
Some people say keto is hard on the kidneys. They are thinking of Atkins with the high protein. Dr Jason Fung ( author of The Obesity Code and The Diabetes Code) is a kidney specialist and uses Ketogenic Diet to treat kidney disease.
Having said that, if you’re concerned, go back and ask the doctor what the implications are, you could check with your pharmacist what they think, if you asked your doc for a referral to a kidney specialist they would give you one.
It’s your kidneys, don’t just rely on some random on the internet.
I’d just add one more thing to this. Think about how much water you’re drinking, because if you’re dehydrated, those numbers will all be caty-whompus.
I have a real issue with drinking enough water. I also have to work hard to keep my electrolytes in balance. Thankfully, drinking a diluted electrolyte drink most of the day has improved both of these parts of my diet. I’m celebrating a 6-day streak without waking up with leg or foot cramps!
I totally agree with hydration. I get my CMP done at least once a month. At the beginning of June, I was normal in all kidney function. By the end of the month, my numbers were all over the place (creatinine at 112, eFGR 58). By the end of July it was back to normal again. The only thing I can attribute this to is a lot more outdoor activity in hot weather and not drinking enough water. If you are concerned enough to get a second opinion, I would wait a few weeks and get another CMP run (they are probably going to order one anyway).
Things can show up after you start keto but the damage is done before. If you have only been keto for less than a year, this could be from your previous lifestyle.
I would be asking my dr. for a referral to a specialist, it is your kidney not hers, and she isn’t going to drive you to the center for kideny dialysis if yours fail.
As others have mentioned, Dr. Fung is a specialist and most of his patients had diabetes that is why he got interested in the true cause of it. His web site has some good info about kidney disease as well as keto/lchf/fasting information.
Good luck sorting it out, be calm, stressing won’t help it any. Just get another medical opinion, preferably from a specialist.
A decrease in GFR by itself does not give you a total picture of your kidney health and or function. We all have a slight decrease in our GFR as we get older. In addition to GFR, you need to examine your blood urea and nitrogen (BUN) levels, as well as your albumin and creatinine clearance levels. If your GFR is slightly decreased, but your albuminuria number is normal then you are at a low risk for kidney disease.
While your GFR is 84 ( greater than 90 normal), just slightly below the normal level. Your creatinine is 78mMol/L (74 – 107mMol/L normal) which is within normal levels (the normal range for creatinine in the blood is around 74 to 107mMol/L depending on the lab). Men generally tend to have higher levels as they generally have more muscle mass then women. This of course may not be the case if you are a bodybuilder or actively lift weights as part of your exercise routine, as the amount of creatinine in your blood increases with muscle mass.
To get a complete picture of your kidney function your need to look at a a number of different things such as 1) your age, 2) activity level, and 3) nutritional level. Your physician should also examine all of the following labs to make a complete diagnosis: GFR, BUN, Creatinine clearance, Albuminuria levels.
Higher levels of creatinine in the urine can come from a number of sources such as a waste by products of too much protein intake, and or dehydration being the most common. Higher levels of albumin in your blood are primarily from the breakdown of ingested protein, and from muscle metabolism. So too much protein can increase albumin levels. Not getting enough protein can of course lower your albumin levels.
BUN is a measure of the waste product of muscle breakdown. Your BUN can be affected by several things. Your BUN tends to increase with 1) dehydration, 2) Muscle breakdown. If have you recently started a work out routine in which you lift weights or have increased the amount of aerobic exercise you do, you will see a increase in muscle breakdown (especially weight lifting) as part of the tearing down and rebuilding of muscle mass. Your BUN can also be to low if you do not consume enough protein in your diet.
Looking at your limited numbers, I would say that your doctor has it right. You appear to be at a low risk for kidney disease at this time. I would keep an eye on the numbers, but if you have any concerns, then I would definitely get a second opinion. Keep in mind, that I am not a physician, and you should not take this as medical advice, simply my interpretation of your inquiry.
Hi Christine
Came across your post tonight as I was looking for any help I could get on kidney disease as I have recently been diagnosed with stage 3, my doctor has said nothing to worry about at this stage but we will keep an eye on it… I have been thinking of going keto but slightly worried that I may cause more problems.
So I was just wondering how you are now and if you would have any views of whether keto helped.
Check out Dr. Jason Fung on youtube, various keto podcasts including the 2ketodudes, he is a kidney specialist and knows his stuff. Here is a link to his podcasts obesitycode check out the one on Kidney Disease.
