Chronic Kidney Disease: What you should know

People with chronic kidney disease are at higher risk of developing heart failure. [Courtesy]

One of the conditions former Prime Minister Raila Odinga was diagnosed with is chronic kidney disease (CKD). This means that the kidneys are not functioning normally. The word chronic indicates that the condition has been present for some time — at least three months.

The kidneys’ primary role is to clean the blood and remove toxins from the body. CKD therefore means the body is retaining some, or most, of these toxins. Kidney function is assessed by testing the level of a chemical in the blood known as serum creatinine.