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Mineral and bone disorder in chronic kidney disease (CKD-MBD): the bones, the heart, the tests, phosphorus, and treatment
For anyone with kidney disease who was told their phosphorus, calcium or PTH is off; anyone with kidney disease whose bones or joints hurt; anyone on dialysis wondering why the binders and the diet matter so much; and anyone looking after a child with kidney disease who is not growing as expected. It passes on, by name, what the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK, part of the NIH) says: what the disorder is, why the kidneys matter to the bones, how common it is and who has it; the bones, the heart and blood vessels, and children; the tests; phosphorus in food, medicines, dialysis, a transplant and surgery; and how to slow it down. It builds the words to say to your care team, so you do not have to find them, and prints a card for your numbers.
Right now
- Chest pain, a face that droops, an arm that goes weak, or speech that comes out wrong? NIDDK says this disorder can raise the risk of heart attacks and strokes, and does not name 911. Ours: if you believe it is an emergency, call 911. See heart attack and stroke.
- Is it all too much, or is someone thinking of ending their life? Call or text 988, any hour (ours).
More help
- On this site: Kidneys, bladder and urine: find the right page · When it’s your kidneys · Kidney failure: choosing a treatment · Kidney disease in children.
- Related: Osteoporosis · When a bone might be broken · When it might be a heart attack · When it might be a stroke · When you want to quit smoking.
- Getting ready: My medicines · Symptom diary · Get ready for your appointment · When you can’t afford your medicine · When you need a doctor and can’t pay.
- In a crisis: Help right now (988, 911). All our free tools.
Kidneys, bladder or urine, and not sure this is the right page? The pages on this site for bladder infections, kidney stones, blood in the urine, bladder pain, bladder leaks, the prostate, kidney disease and bedwetting, on one list.
Other guides on this site that go with this page
Free to read. We chose these ourselves; no professional did. Each guide was written with AI and has not been reviewed by a professional. They are general information, not advice.
- Anemia in chronic kidney disease: the symptoms, the causes, the tests, iron, ESA medicines, and food: anemia in kidney disease: why damaged kidneys cause it, the symptoms, when to call 911, the blood tests, iron, ESA medicines, transfusions, and food.
This page and its wording were written with AI (Claude) for Scarlet Beast (our AI policy). No doctor, nurse or dietitian has reviewed it. The facts were read on October 19, 2026 on NIDDK’s (NIH) page Mineral & Bone Disorder in Chronic Kidney Disease (last reviewed November 2021) and its Spanish page Alteración del metabolismo mineral óseo en la enfermedad renal crónica (last reviewed November 2021), which say the same except one age: among people with kidney failure whose disorder is more evident, the English page says more likely age 65 or older, the Spanish page older than 70. The numbers (more than 37 million Americans, about 1 in 7 adults, with CKD; more than 785,000 Americans with kidney failure on dialysis or with a transplant) are NIDDK’s. Ours: when to call 911 (NIDDK says the disorder can raise the risk of heart attacks and strokes, and does not name 911); 988; the questions to ask; the links to our other pages; and the order of the steps. What we left out: the section on clinical trials, the journal articles NIDDK cites, and NIDDK’s links to other sites. We name medicines only by the kinds NIDDK names: no brand and no dose. Nothing you tick or type here is saved or sent.