Chronic Kidney Disease: Frequently Asked Questions

IgA nephropathy (sometimes called Berger's disease) is a specific cause of chronic kidney disease where a protein called IgA builds up in the kidneys' filtering units, leading to inflammation over time. It's diagnosed by a kidney specialist, usually via a biopsy, and management depends on your individual situation.

Kidneys have some capacity to recover from acute, short-term injury (such as from dehydration or a medication reaction), especially if the cause is identified and addressed quickly. Chronic kidney disease, however, generally involves gradual, longer-term changes that are not expected to reverse on their own, which is why ongoing monitoring and managing underlying causes matters more than waiting for spontaneous repair.

Yes, dehydration can temporarily lower your measured eGFR because it affects blood flow to the kidneys and can concentrate creatinine in the blood. This is one reason doctors look at trends over multiple tests rather than a single result, and may ask you to repeat a test after rehydrating.

A kidney infection (pyelonephritis) is usually a bacterial infection requiring antibiotics prescribed by a doctor, and is different from chronic kidney disease. Untreated kidney infections can sometimes lead to complications, so this isn't something to self-treat with home remedies alone — see a doctor if you suspect a kidney infection, especially with fever, back pain, or urinary symptoms.

This varies enormously depending on stage, age, underlying cause, and how well related conditions are managed. See our full CKD life expectancy guide for what published research says, stage by stage — with the important context that these are population averages, not a personal prediction.