Kidney Health: Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is a serious medical problem affecting 20 million Americans, often resulting in gradual loss of kidney function over a period of months to years. CKD is divided into 5 stages based on the GFR (glomerular filtration rate), which is a measure of the remaining ability of the nephrons in the kidney to filter blood. Stage 5 denotes near total loss of kidney function at which point patients require dialysis or kidney transplant. Patients with CKD represent a unique population with regard to nutritional requirements and appropriate supplementation and VRMD has designed a suite of medically directed nutritional supplements to meet their needs.