Stages of kidney disease

The five stages of CKD range from being at risk through to kidney failure, when your kidneys stop working.

  • Newly diagnosed?

    Being diagnosed with a kidney condition can be a worrying time. In our introduction to kidney health, find out about the support Kidney Care UK can offer, and about kidney conditions and treatments.

  • Kidney disease stages

    The five stages of CKD range from being at risk through to kidney failure, when your kidneys stop working. But only around one in 50 people with CKD ends up with kidney failure. Most people can manage their condition with treatment that slows down its progress.

  • Stage 1 (CKD1)

    Your eGFR is above 90ml/min (normal) but some other tests suggest you may have some kidney damage – for example, you have protein in your wee.

  • Stage 2 (CKD2)

    Your eGFR is 60-89ml/min, plus you have some other signs of kidney damage. Tests may show protein and blood in your urine, and kidney damage may show in a test like an ultrasound or CT scan.

  • Stage 3 (CKD3)

    At 3a, your eGFR is 45-59ml/min. At 3b, your eGFR is 30-44ml/min. Kidney damage is now mild to moderate and your kidneys are beginning to struggle with filtering waste and extra fluid out of your blood.

  • Stage 4 (CKD4)

    Your eGFR is 15-29ml/min. This stage means your kidneys have severe damage and waste products are building up in your blood.

  • Stage 5 (CKD5)

    Your eGFR is less than 15ml/min. It means your kidneys have stopped working or are close to stopping. This is called kidney failure, end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) or end-stage renal disease (ESRD).