Chronic Kidney Disease and Receiving Social Security Disability
Chronic kidney disease is also referred to as chronic renal disease. Chronic kidney disease is a progressive loss of renal (kidney) function over a period of months or years through five stages.
Each stage is a progression through an abnormally low and deteriorating glomerular filtration rate, which is usually determined indirectly by the creatinine level in your blood serum. These five stages are:
Stage 1 This is slightly diminished kidney function with few outward signs and symptoms.
Stage 2 This involves mild kidney damage with mild reduction in your glomerular filtration rate.
Stage 3 This involves a moderate reduction in your glomerular filtration rate.
Stage 4 This stage has a severe reduction in your glomerular filtration rate.
Stage 5 This is a serious illness where there is established kidney failure. It requires kidney replacement therapy, which is either dialysis or kidney transplantation. This stage is also called end-stage renal disease.
Chronic kidney disease is a growing health problem in the United States. 16.8% of all adults in America above the age of 20 have chronic kidney disease. Around 67,000 people die each year in the United States because of kidney failure.
At the beginning, chronic kidney disease causes no specific effects. As your kidney function decreases, however, you may experience:
High blood pressure, chest pain
Easy bruising, itching and pale skin
Need to urinate frequently, especially at night
Weakness and fatigue
Headaches
Numbness in your hands and feet
Altered mental status
Restless leg syndrome
Loss of appetite, vomiting and nausea
Shortness of breath from fluid in your lungs
Bone fractures and pain
Decreased sexual interest and erectile dysfunction
Bleeding (poor blood clotting)
Swelling of your legs and puffiness around your eyes from fluid retention.
You or a loved one may have chronic kidney disease. It may be affecting you or your loved one to the point that you are unable to work. Chronic kidney disease and/or the complications resulting from or related to it may be the cause of your disability.
Have you or your loved one applied for Social Security disability benefits from the Social Security Administration because of the disability caused by chronic kidney disease? Were you or your loved one denied?
You or your loved one may be thinking about appealing the denial by the Social Security Administration. If you do, consider this.
You or your loved one may need a disability lawyer like you will find here to guide you in what can be a long and trying process. The reason for this is because people who are helped and represented by a disability attorney are approved more often than those people who do not have a lawyer.
This is something that could affect you or your loved one for the rest of your life. Do not delay. Find a disability attorney here.
