Tracey is a 60-year-old woman, who was diagnosed with Chronic Kidney disease (CKD) over four years ago. Tracey presents to her local emergency department, as she feels her health has been deteriorating in …show more content…
Her legs and ankles are swollen and her skin appears dry and scaly. These are common presenting symptoms of CKD (National Kidney Foundation, 2010). Tracey’s blood pressure is recorded at 210/90mmhg, which is a high reading in comparison to a normal range of 100 to 140mmhg systolic and 60 to 90mmhg diastolic (National Heart Foundation, 2015). Tracey’s blood test results reveal her Glomerular filtration Rate (GFR) is 30ml/minute and tests display a high reading of creatinine in the blood. A low GFR indicates the kidney’s are severely damaged and can no longer function properly (National Kidney Foundation, 2015). As a result, creatinine levels increase in the blood, as the kidneys are no longer filtering this waste through (National Kidney Foundation, 2015). The nurse recalls Tracey’s medical history and reviews her current medications, in order to identify a cause for the high blood