How Long Can A Person Live With A GFR Of 10 (And Why)?

How Long Can A Person Live With A GFR Of 10 (And Why)?

Exact Answer: Few days to Weeks

Every human has two kidneys that are shaped like a bean and are 4.3 inches or 12 centimeters in length located behind the bodily cavity. Kidneys excrete the wastes from our blood. GFR stands for Glomerular Filtration Rate where the Glomerulus is the network of filtering capillaries which is located at the Bowman’s Capsule or Glomerulus Capsule.

When you feel pain while urinating, when you urinate more often, when you feel pain near your kidneys, when your urine has blood in it, these all mean that your kidneys might have some serious problems. This GFR is used to tell how well our Kidneys are performing and to determine one’s life after a kidney failure.

How Long Can A Person Live With A GFR Of 10

How Long Can A Person Live With A GFR Of 10?

GFRWhat happens?
Greater than 90Normal functioning of kidneys with initial signs of kidney problems
Between 60 to 89Proper kidney functioning is reduced a little
Between 30 to 59Proper kidney functioning is reduced noticeably
Between 15 to 29Extreme reduction of Kidney functioning
Lesser than 15Kidney failure

There are five stages of Kidney failure. The first stage is when you have a GFR greater than 90. This is healthy if you are sure that you don’t have any other kidney problems like some physical damage to your Kidneys and so on.

The second stage is when you have a GFR ranging from 60 to 89. This can be said as normal or mild and doesn’t affect your body. The third stage is when you have a GFR of 30 to 59. This stage is a little complicated and you must look into the problem. This means that your kidneys are moderately damaged. You have to evaluate the performance of your Kidneys and treat the complications.

The fourth stage is when you have a GFR ranging between 15 to 29. This is quite dangerous as it means that your kidneys are severely damaged. The functioning of your kidneys becomes low and it becomes less efficient. Proper treatment may help you live a better and longer life. The last stage or the fifth stage is when your GFR falls below 15, this means kidney failure. Your kidneys no longer have the capacity to excrete or remove wastes from your body.

Your life now depends upon the remaining function left in your kidneys which is normally only a few days to several weeks. You can extend your lifetime by taking treatments like dialysis or a kidney transplant. The most commonly used dialysis is hemodialysis where a dialysis filter known as a dialyzer acts as an artificial kidney and removes the wastes and toxins from the blood.

Why Can A Person Live For Only a Few Days To Weeks With A GFR Of 10?

When met with kidney failure, each person’s lifetime varies depending upon the functionality left in their kidneys. The kidneys are made up of millions of nephrons which involves filtration, reabsorption, secretion, and excretion. Here the filtration process is taken care of by the Glomerulus and hence we measure the GFR to know about the functioning of our Kidneys.

The kidneys excrete substances like urea, uric acid, and ammonia, and reabsorbs substances like water, glucose, and amino acids. After a kidney failure, your lifetime can not only increased by dialysis or kidney transplant but also by having a proper diet and medications. Consulting your doctor for proper treatments and medications can increase your lifetime. This is mainly for people who are not interested in big treatments and spending more money on them.

People with kidney disease normally encounter health problems like high blood pressure, anemia, heart disease, mineral and bone disorder, and malnutrition. Proper intake of water can prevent most kidney problems. But having more water can also be dangerous to your kidneys as you are giving too much load to the kidneys.

Having a large intake of water while your kidneys are not functioning properly raises the blood pressure as it has lost the capacity to remove the excess water efficiently. With our Kidneys being damaged the production of Red Blood Cells is also reduced which leads to anemia. From this, it is clear that a lot of problems in our body are mainly due to the improper functioning of our Kidneys and we should take proper measures to prevent kidney diseases.

Conclusion

Kidney problems can be quite frustrating as it reduces our lifetime. Having a proper diet, changing lifestyle and proper intake of water can prevent kidney diseases. Even after kidney failure, your life can be increased by proper treatments like scheduled medications, a healthy diet, a good lifestyle, dialysis, and kidney transplants.

These treatments do not affect your daily physical work. These days there are also portable dialyzers which can be used as per your comfort. So make sure to learn about the do’s and don’ts when you are suffering from kidney problems and take the required measures by consulting your doctor.

References

  1. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272638614007343
  2. https://jasn.asnjournals.org/content/20/11/2305.short
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23 Comments

  1. I never realized just how many health problems can arise from kidney disease. This is eye-opening.

  2. Such a comprehensive and well-researched article on kidney health. It’s an important topic that everyone should learn about.

  3. I appreciate the emphasis on the impact of proper diet and medical consultation in this article.

  4. It’s sad to think that some people may have only a few days to weeks left to live with a GFR of 10. We must raise awareness about kidney diseases.

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