Chronic kidney disease is a serious medical problem that changes the lives of about 13% of the world’s population. Some kidney damage is reversible; kidney cells can marshal their repair mechanisms to heal harm caused by high blood pressure, diabetes, or harsh medications like chemotherapy. But some damage can become permanent, limiting people’s lives as their kidneys lose their ability to filter blood and remove the body’s waste products.
Just where the tipping point sits between injury that is fixable and damage that’s beyond repair hasn’t been clear.