Beyond Kidney Disease
UC Davis Kidney Support Group
Your journey with kidney disease is our priority.
UC Davis Kidney Support Group
Embrace Life’s Rhythm
We are here to provide support and information to patients with kidney disease at UC Davis Medical Center. Whether you are newly diagnosed or living with kidney disease for a while, our group is here for you. Whether it's learning the basics about your kidneys, tips on being active, mental health support or learning more about kidney transplants, this group is here to help!
Understanding Your Kidneys
How Your Kidneys Function
The glomerulus is the functioning unit of the kidneys. Each kidney is made of millions of glomeruli. Blood passes through each glomerulus, where toxins and extra water are removed and clean blood returns to the body. Creatinine and Cystatin C are two chemicals, whose levels in the blood reflect how well your kidneys are working.
- Normal serum creatinine values range from 0.6 to 1.3 mg/dl
- Normal serum cystatin C values range from 0.6 to 1 mg/l.
GFR or glomerular filtration rate is the amount of blood cleaned by the kidneys per minute, in completely healthy younger people the normal GFR is 100-120 ml/min/m2 of body surface area. On your lab test, GFR is an estimated value from an equation and not a directly measured value. Hence in the abbreviation eGFR, e stands for estimated.
Stages of Kidney Disease
There are 5 stages of kidney disease based on your GFR:
- Stage I: eGFR is between 90-99 ml/min/m2
- Stage II: eGFR is between 60-89 ml/min/m2
- Stage III: eGFR is between 30-59 ml/min/m2
- Stage IV: eGFR is between 15-29 ml/min/m2
- Stage V: eGFR is less than 15 ml/min/m2.
Dialysis is usually started when you are in stage V kidney disease and your eGFR is <10 ml/min.
Planning for type and place of dialysis usually starts when your eGFR is <20 ml/min.
Kidney disease doesn’t cause many symptoms, you might develop symptoms like fatigue and leg swelling at eGFR <30 ml/min.
Kidney Disease Treatment
When your kidneys stop working you will need to either start dialysis or get a kidney transplant.
Kidney transplant is the optimal treatment for advanced kidney disease.
Please visit our pages for dialysis education and transplant advocacy to learn more.
Contact Us
We are here to help and support you as you navigate your kidney disease journey at UC Davis Medical Center. If you have any questions, concerns, or need assistance, please don't hesitate to reach out to us. We understand that this can be a challenging time, but rest assured, our team is dedicated to providing you with the support and resources you need.
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How To Reach Us