35-year-old woman presents with edema, stage 1 HTN

She has stage 1 kidney disease.

Key Point:

Even with a normal serum creatinine level, proteinuria is a marker of kidney dysfunction.

Explanation:

The patient, by virtue of proteinuria, has stage 1 kidney disease, defined as renal disease with a normal glomerular filtration rate (GFR). This patient is likely to have a normal GFR with a creatinine level of 0.6 mg/dL; however, because proteinuria is present, her kidneys are not functioning normally. A normal protein/creatinine ratio is defined as 0.2 g protein/ g creatinine or less, corresponding to a urinary protein level of 200 mg.

Stage kidney disease 2 is defined as a GFR of 60 to 89 mL/minute; stage 3 is defined as a GFR of 30 to 59 mL/minute; and stage 4 is defined as a GFR of 15 to 29 mL/minute.

References:

Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes. KDIGO 2012 clinical practice guideline for the evaluation and management of chronic kidney disease. Kidney Int Suppl. 2013;3:5. Accessed February 28, 2019.