Everything about living in this situation, and tips to minimize risks.

According to the National Kidney Foundation (NKF), 37 million Americans currently suffer from chronic kidney disease (CKD). When you have this disease, it means that your kidneys (the bean-shaped organs on both sides of the spine) are damaged and cannot filter your blood in the way it should. Although getting this diagnosis can be devastating, most people with this disease can still lead healthy and productive lives.

"When people learn that they have chronic kidney disease, they will unconsciously think that they need dialysis, but with proper treatment, they can control the disease well for many years," New York University Lange Health Center Nephrology Clinic Director David Goldfarb, MD said. York City told Health.

For example: NKF stated that even after being diagnosed with CKD, celebrities like Selena Gomez, Sarah Hyland and Halle Berry are still thriving. If you are one of the 15% of Americans with chronic kidney disease, experts would like you to know the following.

Related: Nephrologists think 5 common causes of kidney disease

To understand the causes of CKD, it is necessary to understand normal kidney function. NKF says that your kidneys can clean the blood, remove waste and excess water. (Think of them as your own personal body filters). According to the National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), blood enters each of your kidneys through the renal arteries. From there, it is cleaned through millions of tiny blood filters called nephrons, and then the waste enters your bladder in the form of urine.

According to NKF, under normal circumstances, a healthy kidney is like a well-functioning machine, filtering about 200 quarts of liquid every 24 hours. (Only about two quarts of this were expelled; the remaining 198 quarts were sent back to the body as clean blood). But in order for them to work properly, the arteries leading to the kidneys need to be healthy, as do the nephrons. If not, you may be in trouble.

Things that can cause problems include:

diabetes. According to NKF, this is the number one cause of kidney disease. When your blood sugar is too high, it can damage all the small blood vessels in your body, including the small blood vessels in the kidneys. Therefore, your kidneys cannot filter blood properly. Approximately 30% of patients with type 1 diabetes and as many as 40% of patients with type 2 diabetes will eventually develop kidney failure.

hypertension. Dr. Goldfarb explained that when you have high blood pressure, the blood pressure on the blood vessel walls increases. This can damage them, including the blood vessels that carry blood in and out of the kidneys.

glomerulus nephritis. This is a group of diseases that damage the blood filtering nephron. NKF says that the nephron in the kidney. Therefore, they cannot filter your blood properly.

Autoimmune diseases such as lupus. NIDDK points out that these diseases can cause your immune system to attack any organ in your body, including your kidneys.

Polycystic kidney. According to the National Library of Medicine, this is a disease in which cysts or fluid-filled sacs form in the kidneys. This makes it difficult to filter waste properly.

Repeated kidney infections. NIDDK stated that in rare cases, repeated kidney infections can lead to scarring of the kidneys, which can lead to chronic kidney disease.

Related: What is diabetic nephropathy? The doctor explains how it develops and 4 things you can do

NKF stated that approximately 90% of kidney disease patients are not aware that they have kidney disease.

Staci Leisman, MD, a nephrologist at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, said: “Most patients will not show signs of the disease until they are quite severe.” Having said that, she pointed out that some symptoms may appear earlier. These include:

Swelling of the ankles and feet. Dr. Lesman explained that as kidney function declines, your body's ability to filter salt decreases. It can accumulate and cause swelling of the feet and ankles (aka ankles).

anemia. NIDDK explains that when you have kidney disease, your kidneys have difficulty producing erythropoietin (EPO), a hormone that tells your body to make red blood cells. As a result, your red blood cell count drops. Your doctor may find this during routine laboratory tests, or you may notice that you feel weak and tired, and have other symptoms, such as dizziness, shortness of breath, and difficulty thinking clearly.

There is a metallic taste in the mouth. Dr. Leisman said that when you have kidney disease, waste products accumulate in your body, including a substance called urea, which affects your taste buds.

I urinate more at night. When your kidney filter is damaged, you will want to urinate more often. Dr. Leisman explained that this is especially noticeable when lying down at night, because excess fluid around the ankles, feet, and legs can now flow to the kidneys.

Late signs of kidney disease include:

When these symptoms appear, "you really miss the window to treat chronic kidney disease," Dr. Leishman said. As a result, your kidneys are severely damaged and cannot filter out most of the toxins, causing them to accumulate in your blood.

Related: The 5 stages of kidney disease: what the nephrologist wants you to know

Dr. Goldfarb said that there are two main tests that doctors use to diagnose chronic kidney disease. they are:

If you have kidney disease, your doctor will also perform these checks regularly to ensure that your current treatment is effective. This means that GFR remains the same or rises, while urine albumin levels fall.

Related: Selina Gomez confidently shows off her kidney transplant scar in new swimsuit photos

If you are diagnosed with chronic kidney disease, you need to see a nephrologist or nephrologist. Studies have shown that according to NKF, the sooner you are referred, the less likely you are to develop CKD complications. There is no cure for CKD, but most people can be treated with the following steps.

Through these steps, you may be able to keep your kidneys healthy for many years. But some people find that despite their efforts, they still have kidney failure, that is, your GFR rate drops below 15%. If this happens, there are two main options: dialysis, treatment using a machine to filter the blood, or kidney transplantation. Although this sounds scary, it is important to remember that of the 37 million Americans with this disease, fewer than 800,000 people need any of them each year.

"In general, we are more concerned about patients with chronic kidney disease who have a heart attack or stroke due to other cardiovascular risk factors, rather than that they eventually need dialysis," said Dr. Goldfarb. This is why it is so important to keep other risk factors under control.

Related: Kidney Disease Diet: According to Experts, 8 Foods That May Be Beneficial

Dr. Goldfarb said that although there is no panacea to prevent CKD, you can help reduce the risk by following a healthy lifestyle. A few tips:

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