Stage 3 kidney disease life expectancy without dialysis

December 25, 2018

Kidney disease leads to a reduction in life expectancy. How much of a reduction? It depends on several factors, especially a person’s age, sex, and the stage of the disease. Questions like these were first answered less than a decade ago. But thanks to an enormous amount of research, doctors now have an excellent picture of the prognosis for kidney disease.

Table of Contents Show

Later Stages of Kidney Disease: Stages 3, 4 and 5
Slowing and Treating Kidney Disease Progression
How long can a 70 year old live with stage 3 kidney disease?
How long can kidney patient survive without dialysis?
Is stage 3 chronic kidney disease serious?
How long does it take for stage 3 CKD to progress to Stage 4?

Nevertheless, it’s important to keep in mind, every person is different—not just in terms of personality, but in terms of genetics, current health condition, and so forth. Life expectancy estimates can make no guarantees, but they may provide you with a general outlook.

The Stages of Kidney Disease

How many stages of kidney disease are there? It’s a little complicated. While there are five primary stages of kidney diseases, the third stage can be broken into two sub-stages. Each stage is determined by measuring glomerular filtration rate (GFR), which is used to indicate how well the kidneys are functioning.

Stage 1 and 2: Early Warnings

Stage 1 indicates a person with normal GFR at or above 90mL/min. The second stage is indicated by GFR between 60-89mL/min, which is when minor symptoms tend to start. In these stages, kidney disease can be caught before it has done any significant damage.

Stage 3, 4, and 5: Nearing Kidney Failure

It’s stage 3 that defines the point at which mortality becomes a greater concern than the likelihood of developing end-stage renal disease. With kidney function reduced between 59-30mL/min, the previously minor symptoms of stage 2 become far more severe. From the end of stage 3, there are only 15-points of kidney function standing between entering stage 5, which indicates total kidney failure.

Life Expectancy by Sex

As much as anything else, life expectancy for kidney disease depends on a person’s age and sex.

For a 60-year-old man, stage 1 kidney disease life expectancy will be approximately 15 years. That figure falls to 13 years, 8 years, and 6 years in the second, third, and fourth stages of kidney disease respectively. For a 60-year old woman, stage 1 life expectancy is 18 years, while stage 2 is only one year less. For stage 3 kidney disease, her life expectancy would be 11 years.

In short, women have a slightly greater life expectancy at all ages. But during stages 4 and 5, those advantages slip away, and life expectancy becomes essentially identical between the sexes.

Life Expectancy by Age

Age changes everything. Consider the life expectancy of 70-year old men and women. For a 70-year old man, his life expectancy for the first four stages of kidney disease would be 9 years, 8 years, 6 years, and 4 years respectively.

For a 70-year-old woman, life expectancy is 11 years, 8 years, and 4 years. Once again, women start with a greater life expectancy, but the differences disappear in later stages of the disease.

Stage Five

Stage 5 kidney disease means total kidney failure and the necessity of dialysis. Five decades ago, a failed kidney meant death was likely. These days, things are quite a bit different. According to the National Kidney Foundation, the average life expectancy for a patient on dialysis is 5-10 years. Though for someone between the ages of 70 and 74, life expectancy is closer to four years on dialysis.

Keeping Healthy Kidneys

Age and health problems can impair your ability to endure kidney disease. While there’s no cure, there are things you can to do learn to manage kidney disease.

If there’s one thing this data should make clear, it’s that taking some simple steps to prevent the progression of kidney disease won’t only preserve health, but it can help save years of life.

Medically Reviewed By William C. Lloyd III, MD, FACS

— Written By Nancy LeBrun

Updated on July 10, 2020

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Chronic kidney disease, or CKD, is diagnosed in stages ranging from 1 to 5, measured by levels of a waste product in the blood called creatine. Doctors make a prognosis by evaluating the stage of the disease along with an individual’s general health and age. Stage 1 and 2 kidney disease indicates mild damage, when your kidneys are mostly healthy and still working well. Stages 3, 4 and 5 reflect a more serious progression of CKD, with different life expectancies. Kidney disease is a serious health matter, but there are effective treatments and lifestyle practices that can slow its progression. Kidney transplant can give some people a normal life expectancy.

Later Stages of Kidney Disease: Stages 3, 4 and 5

Many people with CKD aren’t diagnosed till the disease has advanced, as symptoms often don’t appear till kidney function is at 25% or less. CKD is a progressive disease that worsens slowly over a period of years and leads to kidney failure. With kidney failure, waste products must be cleaned out of your blood by mechanical means. Here are the life expectancies for later stages of chronic kidney disease, though individual experiences and life spans vary widely:

Stage 3 Kidney Disease: You may not have symptoms, but your creatine levels indicate some damage to your kidneys. At this relatively early stage, you do not need dialysis or a kidney transplant. Life expectancy for stage 3 kidney disease differs between men and women. A 40-year-old man has a typical life expectancy of 24 years after diagnosis, and a 40-year-old woman with the same diagnosis has a life expectancy of 28 years.

Stage 4 Kidney Disease: The kidneys are significantly damaged. Kidney failure becomes likely, which will require dialysis or a kidney transplant. A 40-year-old man with stage 4 kidney disease has a life expectancy of 14 years after diagnosis, while a 40-year-old woman can expect to live 16 more years. The right diet and medication may still slow disease progression.

Stage 5 Kidney Disease: The kidneys are close to failure or have failed. You need to start dialysis or, if you are a candidate, have a kidney transplant. There are not enough donor kidneys available for everyone to get a transplant. Without a transplant, men between the ages of 30 to 35 have a life expectancy of 14 years with stage 5 CKD. For women of the same age, the expected life span is 13 years. If you are between 70 and 75 years, life expectancy is 4 years for both men and women. If you have a successful transplant, you can live a normal life span. Even without dialysis or a transplant, your life expectancy may be improved by taking medication and following a healthy lifestyle.

Slowing and Treating Kidney Disease Progression

Medications that can help people with kidney disease, though there is no cure. Certain blood pressure drugs, including ACE inhibitors and ARBs, may slow disease progression and delay kidney failure, even in people without high blood pressure.

If you do have high blood pressure, it’s important to control it because it can damage the blood vessels in the kidneys, worsening CKD. Your doctor can prescribe blood pressure medicine and may recommend reducing the salt in your diet.

Many cases of kidney disease are linked to diabetes, so controlling your blood sugar is vital, with medication if necessary. Take care to monitor your blood sugar levels regularly and try to stay at a healthy weight.

When there is kidney damage, phosphorus can build up in the body and weaken bones. Talk with your doctor about avoiding foods high in phosphorus, such as dairy products, processed meats, beer, soda, and chocolate.

Potassium is another mineral that can build up in the body when you have kidney disease. Too much potassium increases the risk of a heart attack. Ask your doctor about avoiding foods that are high in potassium, such as bananas and broccoli.

If you have CKD and are not on dialysis, your doctor may advise you to eat less protein, as protein can be difficult for kidneys to filter when they are not functioning well. You can work with your doctor to manage your kidney disease, improve your prognosis, and delay kidney failure. Each person will have a different experience, and life expectancy statistics reflect averages.

How long can a 70 year old live with stage 3 kidney disease?

For a 70-year old man, his life expectancy for the first four stages of kidney disease would be 9 years, 8 years, 6 years, and 4 years respectively. For a 70-year-old woman, life expectancy is 11 years, 8 years, and 4 years.

How long can kidney patient survive without dialysis?

This varies from person to person. People who stop dialysis may live anywhere from one week to several weeks, depending on the amount of kidney function they have left and their overall medical condition.

Is stage 3 chronic kidney disease serious?

How serious is Stage 3 CKD? You might think of Stage 3 CKD as a "middle stage" of kidney disease. Your kidneys are damaged, but they still work well enough that you do not need dialysis or a kidney transplant. Kidney disease often cannot be cured in Stage 3, and damage to your kidneys normally is not reversible.

How long does it take for stage 3 CKD to progress to Stage 4?

Stage 3B patients had higher risks of adverse renal and cardiovascular outcomes than stage 3A patients. Conclusions: About half of the patients with stage 3 CKD progressed to stage 4 or 5, as assessed by eGFR, over 10 years.