Kidney Failure and Treatment Options

Kidney Function and Failure

Functions:

• Clean the blood and remove extra fluid
• Keep your body chemicals in balance
• Filter out waste products
• Control blood pressure and red blood cell production

Kidney Failure:

Occurs when kidneys stop working or when their function is less than 15%. This results in a build-up of fluid and chemical wastes, which is life-threatening unless treated by dialysis or kidney transplantation.

Uremia

Uremia occurs when waste products build up in the blood. Symptoms include:

• Loss of appetite
• Nausea and vomiting
• Headache
• Itching

Treatment Options for Kidney Failure

Patients with kidney failure have several treatment options:

• Diet and fluid management
• Kidney transplantation
• Medications
• Kidney dialysis
• Non-treatment (palliative care)

Hemodialysis

In hemodialysis, a dialysis machine pumps blood through a filter called a dialyzer. Two needles are inserted into your arm for each treatment: one withdraws blood and the other returns the filtered blood to your body. Hemodialysis is sometimes called an "artificial kidney" because it acts as a man-made replacement for the damaged filters in your kidneys.

Peritoneal Dialysis

Similar to hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis uses a filter to clean blood and remove excess fluids. However, with peritoneal dialysis, the blood is cleansed inside the body using the peritoneum (a membrane lining the abdominal cavity) as the filter. This can be done at home.

Kidney Transplantation

Sources of Kidney Transplants:

• Living related donors
• Living unrelated donors
• Cadaver donors

New Kidney:

During the operation, a healthy kidney is placed deep under the muscle near the hip bone. It can be placed on either the left or right side of the abdomen.

Immunosuppressive Medicines:

Immunosuppressive medicines are used to suppress or stop the body's normal immune response to reject the donor kidney. Major advances have been made in immunosuppressive therapy, with cyclosporine being the most common.

Rejection

Rejection means that your body is trying to get rid of something that doesn't belong to you. It is a major problem with kidney transplantation. The immune system attacks the transplanted kidney, preventing it from working. Rejection episodes are common in at least half of the people in the first three months after transplantation.

Treatment of Rejection:

• Medications
• Treatment of the rejection episode
• Following treatment guidelines

Other Kidney-Related Terms

Azotemia

Excess of nitrogen compounds, including urea, in the urine.

Diuresis

Increased urine production, often caused by high blood sugar or certain medications. Antidiuretic drugs are the most common treatment.

Dysuria

Pain or discomfort when urinating, often described as a burning sensation. It is most commonly caused by a bacterial infection of the urinary tract.

Enuresis

: repeated inability to control urination. It describes individuals old enough to be expected to exercise such control. UREMIA: is the set of symptoms caused by the accumulation of toxic products that should be eliminated by the kidney and they're retained in the body. POLICYSTIC K DIS: is a disorder in which clusters of cysts develop primarily within your kidneys