eGFR result concern

[Jwright1984]

Just had some blood work done and my eGFR level is 75 mL/min. I am a 34 year old male. I read that for my age my eGFR level should be 90-120 ml/min. Should I be concerned about this level? Thanks to anyone who responds.

[specialmom]

Hi.  Normal starts at 90 so you are slightly below normal.  Below 60 indicates kidney disease.  I think that while I would not be concerned at this point I Would see your doctor to discuss if your kidney function is declining and what could be causing that.  Have you scheduled an appointment with your doctor or have any history of kidney issues?

[Jwright1984]

I e-mailed my doctor and they said that they wanted to wait for a month or so and retest my levels. They did say 75 would technically be considered stage 2 kidney disease. They suggested changing my diet and cutting out as much sodium as possible. They said, however, that numbers can fluctuate and that I shouldn't yet be concerned until I get a low number 3 consecutive times in a row spaced out over a period of several months.

[specialmom]

Oh, okay.  That makes sense.  That your number may pop back up and this is a fluke.  But I'm sure this has you worried.  Kidney disease is funky in that you often don't know you have it so that's good if you end up having declining kidney function, you catch it now.  Do you have a family history of that?  Anyway, come back and update after your next test and I'd definitely follow their diet recommendations.

[Jwright1984]

As far as I know there is no history of kidney disease in my family. I am on a lot of medications for various conditions so it would not surprise me in the least if one of those was responsible for a decline in kidney function. The only thing I am really concerned about is them not catching something in time. My father in laws kidney function numbers kept going down and they never said anything to him about it. By the time they told him something was wrong he was already in stage 3, close to stage 4 kidney disease. He got a new doctor who told him that if his previous doc had told him about his declining numbers they could have prevented him, or at least delayed him, from getting into stage 3 kidney disease. From what I read most doctors won't even say something until your eGFR number gets to 60 or below which is stage 3 kidney disease. That seems ridiculous to me. They should tell you if you get into stage 2 so you can make some lifestyle changes before it gets too late. The only reason I am where I am is because I looked up what eGFR was and what the numbers for healthy kidneys should be.