What does reduced kidney function mean?

Answer 1

Organ function tests determine how well an organ is performing its primary functions. When an organ is not performing as expected then its function is considered to be reduced. When organ function is reduced the organ is said to be diseased (e.g. Heart disease simply means the heart is not performing is function normally). The failure of the organ to perform normally may be because of a short-term problem (called acute) or an ongoing condition that typically results in serious damage (called chronic).

Reduced organ function is classified as primary when the organ itself is the cause of the problem or secondary when something else is the cause of the problem. As an example, liver disease could be caused by cirrhosis from excessive alcohol consumption - in this case the liver has been damaged because of having to process too much alcohol and this is considered "primary". An example of "secondary" liver disease is when the pancreas over produces digestive enzymes which then damage the liver.

It can be quite difficult to determine which organ has reduced function and then exactly why its function is reduced which can result in a number of tests having to be performed.

The above is generic and isn't specific to kidneys and equally applies to the liver, pancreas, the heart etc. The kidneys are responsible for regulating water and salt levels within the body. They also remove some waste products. So, a reduced kidney function means that it is not correctly regulating water and/or salt levels.

For more information look here: http://www.patient.co.uk/health/Blood-Test-Kidney-Function.htm