How does neuropathy prevalence differ in patients with chronic kidney disease, what percentage are affected, and how does dialysis influence progression?

hotsiagoodman
November 13, 2025
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How does neuropathy prevalence differ in patients with chronic kidney disease, what percentage are affected, and how does dialysis influence progression?

Hello, this is Mr. Hotsia.

I am 56 years old. I’m writing this from my home in Chiang Rai, in northern Thailand. For 30 of those 56 years, my “job” was to be on the road. My life’s work, as you might know from my YouTube channels 1, was to travel to every single province of Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Myanmar.

My “research method” was living. I ate with the locals. I saw the “ground truth.”

And in 30 years, I’ve seen two different worlds.

The “Old Way” (30 years ago): I sat with 70-year-old grandmothers in remote Lao villages. They were thin. They were strong. They worked (movement) in the fields all day. Their “fix” for everything was movement (farming) and herbs.

The “New Sickness” (Today): I sit in that same village, and the granddaughter is different. She’s overweight. She’s sedentary. Her “food” is “new” (instant noodles, sugary sodas). Her “sickness” is also “new”: diabetes, kidney failure… Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD).

Now, I live a second life. I’m a systems analyst by training. Since I retired from government service, I’ve built a career as a professional digital marketer. It’s a job that earned me a ClickBank Platinum Award in 2022.

My new “job” is to sit.

My new “job” is to analyze data. I run over 40 websites, and I research the “high intent keywords” of a US audience. I see what they fear.

And the fear I see in the data is explosive:

“CKD nerve pain.”

“dialysis itching won’t stop.”

“why are my feet burning?”

My “ground truth” (the new sickness in the village) and my “data” (the fear in the West) have collided.

This is a systems failure.

As a systems analyst, I had to understand why.

A “patch” (a pill) is “bailing water.”

The real “sickness” is not the “skin.” The symptom is the itch.

The real “sickness” is the system.

Here is my deep-dive analysis.

😵 The “System Failure” (How CKD Causes the “Scream”)

First, my “systems analyst” brain.

We must understand the system failure.

This is not two “problems.” This is one “root cause” and one “result.”

CKD is the “root cause.” Neuropathy is the “result.”

Your “body” is an “engine.”

  1. The “Filter” (The Kidney): This “part” cleans the “fuel.”
  2. The “Fuel” (The Blood): This “part” runs the “engine.”
  3. The “Wiring” (The Nerves): This “part” controls the “engine.”

In the “new sickness” (CKD), the “Filter” (the kidney) breaks.

  • The “Result”: The “fuel” (the blood) becomes dirty. It is flooded with “Uremic Toxins” (the “dirty fuel”).
  • The “Failure”: This “dirty fuel” poisons the “system.” It attacks and “rusts” the “electrical wiring” (the nerves).
  • The “Symptom”: A “rusted” wire screams. This “scream” is the neuropathy.
    • When the sensory “wiring” “screams,” it is the itch (pruritus).
    • When the motor “wiring” “screams,” it is the crawling (Restless Legs).
    • When the peripheral “wiring” “screams,” it is the burning (the pain).

This is Uremic Neuropathy.

It is not a “different” problem. It is the guaranteed “result” of a failed “system”.

📊 The “Data” (The Proportion of “Failure”)

This is the “data analyst” question. What proportion of patients “are affected”?

My “data” (my keyword research) shows the fear is 100%.

The clinical “data” (the studies I’ve researched for my health sites 2) is terrifying.

The “data” is not “blurry.”

The “data” is a sliding scale of “system failure.”

  • Stage 1 (The “Old Way”): A healthy “filter”. Prevalence: 0%.
  • Stage 2 (The “New Sickness” – Mild CKD): The “filter” is “clogged.” Prevalence: 10-20%.
  • Stage 3 (The “End-Stage” – Dialysis): The “filter” is broken. Prevalence: 60% to 100%.

The “data” proves the “systems analysis.”

When the “filter” fails, the “wiring” fails.

The proportion is catastrophic because the cause (the “dirty fuel”) is constant.

⛓️ The “Lifeboat” (How Dialysis Influences the “Failure”)

This is the core of the “systems analysis.”

This is how “dialysis” influences “progression”.

My “ground truth” (the “old way” grandmother) had no “patch.” She lived (the “work”) or she died.

The “new way” (the West) has a “patch.”

This “patch” is Dialysis.

My “systems analysis” is this:

Dialysis is not a “fix.” It is not a “filter.”

It is a “Lifeboat.”

It “saves” you from the “dirty fuel” (the toxins) that will kill you today.

1. The “Good” (What it Fixes):

  • The “Data”: The “lifeboat” (dialysis) is very good at bailing water.
  • The “Mechanism”: It cleans the small “toxins” (like urea).
  • The “Result”: The “system” (the patient) lives.

2. The “Bad” (What it Misses):

  • The “Data”: This is the hidden “systems failure.” The “lifeboat” (dialysis) is a bad “filter”.
  • The “Mechanism”: It cannot “clean” the “Middle-Molecule Toxins.”
  • My “Analysis”: It misses the toxins that are the “accelerant.”
  • The “Ground Truth”: The specific “toxins” that dialysis misses… are the exact “toxins” that “rust” the “wiring” (the nerves).

The “Outcome” (The Progression):

  • The “lifeboat” saves the “engine” (the life).
  • But the “lifeboat” fails to “clean” the specific “poison” that is killing the “wiring.”
  • The “Progression”: The “sickness” (the neuropathy) progresses. It gets worse.

The “patch” (dialysis) keeps you alive… but it cannot “fix” the “system failure” (the neuropathy).

📊 Table 1: Mr. Hotsia’s “Systems Log” (The “Failure” Comparison)

As a systems analyst, I log the data.

The “System” (The Group) The “Filter” (Kidney) The “Fuel” (Toxins) My “Hotsia” Verdict (The “Wiring” Outcome)
The “Old Way” (My Ground Truth) Working. Clean. Healthy. (The “signal” is clean).
The “New Sickness” (CKD) “Clogged.” “Dirty.” (Uremia begins). “Failure.” (The “rust” begins).
The “Lifeboat” (Dialysis) “Broken.” “Patched.” (Small toxins gone. Middle toxins remain). “Catastrophic.” (The “rust” accelerates).

 

📊 Table 2: The “Outcomes” Analysis (The “Fixes”)

Here is my “field guide” as both a traveler and an analyst. This is how they “compare.”

The “Fix” (The “Tool”) The “Mechanism” (The “Data”) The “Target” (The “System”) My “Analyst’s” Verdict (The “So What?”)
No Intervention “Systems Failure” The Whole System A 100% guaranteed failure.
Dialysis (The “Lifeboat”) “Bailing Water” (Cleans small toxins) The Life (The “System”) A Necessary “Patch”. (It saves your life).
Dialysis (The “Lifeboat”) “Fails” (Misses middle toxins) The Wiring (The Nerves) A Bad “Patch”. (It fails to fix the “symptom”).
The Real “Fix” (Transplant) “New Filter” The Root Cause (The “Failure”) The Only “Fix.” (It cleans the “fuel”).

 

🌏 A Traveler’s Final Word: The “System” is the “Ground Truth”

I am 56 years old. I must keep moving (my travels). But my new job (my ClickBank work) forces me to sit.

My body is “ground zero” for this “systems failure.”

My “ground truth” (the village) and my “data” (the studies) are the same.

The “data” is undeniable:

  • The “patch” (dialysis) loses. It is a temporary “fix” for one part of the “system.”
  • The “system” (the lifestyle) wins.

The “new sickness” (a sedentary, high-stress, processed-food life) is the “accelerant” that breaks the “filter.”

The “old way” (the movement, the real food, the clean fuel) is the only “fix” for the prevention.

And the “transplant” (the new “filter”) is the only “fix” for the cure.

The “lifeboat” (dialysis) will not “fix” the “wiring.”

🙋‍♂️ My Research FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

1. Is the neuropathy (the “scream”) permanent?

My “systems analyst” answer: It can be. The “rust” (the damage to the “wiring”) is permanent. But… the real “fix” (a Transplant – the “new filter”) stops the “rust.” The “data” proves that a transplant can “fix” the “symptom” (the pain)… if the “wiring” is not dead.

2. Why does it itch? (The “Scream”).

My “ground truth” answer: This is the “scream” of the skin “wiring”. The “dirty fuel” (the uremic toxins and histamine that the “filter” misses) poisons the “skin nerves.” The “scream” is the itch.

3. Does dialysis “fix” anything?

My “systems analyst” answer: Yes! It “fixes” death. It is the most important “patch”. It “bails” the “dirty fuel” (the small toxins) that will stop your “engine” (your heart). It is not a “bad” “fix.” It is an incomplete “fix.”

4. What about the “old way” (my Hanoi park fix – Tai Chi/Yoga)?

My “data” answer: The data (the studies) proves this helps. It “fixes” the symptoms (the cramps, the pain, the stress). It is a “systems fix” for the software (the mind). It helps the “hardware” (the muscle). It is the “smart” “fix” while you are in the “lifeboat.”

5. Mr. Hotsia, what’s your “ground truth” fix?

My “ground truth”? I’m 56. My “systems” (travel and sitting) are both “stress.”

  1. I eat the “old way” (my Kaphrao Sajai – which has herbs).
  2. I move (my travels).
  3. I respect the “data” (the studies)… and the “data” proves the “old way” (the clean fuel) is the “smarter system.”
Mr.Hotsia

I’m Mr.Hotsia, sharing 30 years of travel experiences with readers worldwide. This review is based on my personal journey and what I’ve learned along the way. Learn more