Stages and Symptoms of Renal Failure

In most cases, once patients get kidney disease, their renal function will not fail at once in a short time, but declines gradually. Clinically, Renal Failure caused by Chronic Kidney Disease can be divided into four stages.

Stage 1: compensatory stage of renal insufficiency

The nephrons decline by 20%~50%. In this stage, the kidneys still keep good execration and regulation ability and the creatinine and urea nitrogen levels keep in the normal range. The patients do not have abnormal symptoms.

Stage2: decompensatory stage of renal insufficiency

The nephrons decline by 50%~70%. The regulation and execration functions of kidneys decline. The patients will have a series of clinical symptoms such as excessive urination at night, fatigue, vomit, nausea, anemia, and diarrhea and so on. Moreover, the kidney concentration function declines and the urea nitrogen and creatinine levels increase. In some cases, the patients may have mild acidosis.

Stage3: renal failure

In this stage, the nephrons decrease by 75%~90%. The patients have increased nocturnal urination, serious anemia and uremic symptoms, hypocalcemia and serious metabolic acidosis.

Stage 4: end stage Uremia

The remind nephrons are less than 10% of that in normal case. The patients have systemic toxic symptoms including digestive system, cardiovascular system, and nervous system and so on. Moreover, those symptoms can cause hyperthyroidism.


In the early stages of renal failure, the patients do not have serious decline in their renal function. Therefore, it the patients can receive early treatment, they will be able to preserve their renal function to the most extent.