N18.5: Chronic kidney disease, stage 5

Your kidneys are damaged. Therefore, your kidneys have almost stopped working for some time.

This is also known as kidney failure.

There are normally 2 kidneys in the body. They filter blood and create urine. They thus help to detoxify the body. Furthermore, the kidneys regulate the blood pressure and salt content in the blood, among other things.

If the kidneys are no longer working properly, they can no longer perform their tasks properly. One result of this may be that your blood pressure is too high. If the kidneys stop producing enough urine, you excrete little urine. Too much fluid then remains in the body. This fluid can then collect in the legs, for example.

The kidneys also produce messenger substances. If the kidneys no longer work properly, not enough messenger substances are produced. This can impact on the body in many ways. For example, the bones may become less solid. Not enough of the red blood pigment may be produced. The salt content and acid content in your blood may also change. Deposits may also form more rapidly in the blood vessels.

Your kidneys have almost stopped working entirely. This means that substances are building up in your body that are normally excreted in the urine. These substances can damage the body. They can cause damage to the heart or the brain, for example. Nausea and itching are common symptoms.