Conditions and symptoms
What Is Kidney Disease? Why Medicine Labels Ask About It
Kidney disease · say it: KID-nee dih-ZEEZAlso written: renal disease, kidney problems, nephropathy, kidney impairment
Short answer
Kidney disease is any condition that damages the kidneys or reduces how well they filter waste and extra fluid from the blood.
What it means
Kidney disease is a broad term for conditions that harm the kidneys or lower their ability to filter the blood. It can be sudden (acute kidney injury) or long-term (chronic kidney disease). Common causes include diabetes, high blood pressure, infections, some inherited conditions and some medicines. Kidney function is usually checked with blood tests such as creatinine and eGFR and urine tests for protein.
Medicine labels mention kidney disease or 'renal impairment' because many medicines leave the body through the kidneys. When the kidneys work less well, a medicine can build up and cause side effects. Labels may lower the dose, ask for blood tests, or say to avoid the medicine. Some labels, such as those for NSAIDs, warn that the medicine itself can harm the kidneys in some people.
'Renal' is the medical word for kidney. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a specific long-term form with stages. Kidney failure means the kidneys can no longer do enough work on their own, which may need dialysis or a transplant.
Where you may see it
- The 'Renal Impairment' section of medicine labels
- Over-the-counter labels with 'Ask a doctor before use if you have kidney disease'
- Lab reports showing creatinine, eGFR and urine protein
📄 How it looks on a report
Ask a doctor before use if you have kidney disease.
🙅 What it does not mean
- Kidney disease is not always permanent. Some kidney problems, especially sudden ones, can recover.
- It does not usually cause symptoms early on, so feeling well does not rule it out.
- A label asking about kidney disease does not mean the medicine is unsafe for everyone with it; the dose may simply need adjusting.
🗒️ Questions to ask your doctor
💊 Medicines whose labels mention “Kidney disease”
Plain-English explanations of each medicine, from its official FDA label.
- Acyclovir
An antiviral medicine of the nucleoside analogue type, used against herpesviruses
- Alendronate
a bisphosphonate, a medicine that slows the breakdown of bone by blocking cells called osteoclasts
- Allopurinol
a xanthine oxidase inhibitor, a prescription medicine that acts on uric acid
- Alprazolam
a benzodiazepine, a type of central nervous system medicine
- Amoxicillin
a penicillin-class antibacterial medicine that works against bacteria
- Ampicillin Sodium
a penicillin-type antibacterial medicine
- Artemether and Lumefantrine
an antimalarial medicine, which is a fixed combination of two blood-stage antimalarial ingredients (artemether, an artemisinin derivative, and lumefantrine)
- Aspirin
a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) and a platelet aggregation inhibitor
- Atorvastatin
a statin, a cholesterol-lowering medicine of the HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor type
- Azithromycin
a macrolide antibacterial (antibiotic) medicine
🔗 Read more from trusted sources
- “Kidney disease” on MedlinePlus ↗
US National Library of Medicine
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General information about a medical word, not advice about your own results. Ask the clinician who ordered the test what it means for you.