Kidney disease

The kidneys are a wonderful organ.  They do many things to sustain life.  Basically, the kidneys cleanse your blood by removing waste by-products after digestion and exposure to medications and chemicals.  The kidneys also produce the enzyme renin which helps to regulate blood pressure by maintaining a healthy salt and mineral balance.   The kidneys produce erythropoietin which stimulates RBC production, and they produce an active form of vitamin D needed for bone health.

Diabetes and high blood pressure are the most common causes of kidney failure.  Inflammation, congenital defects, long-term exposure to drugs, and immune system conditions can also play a major role in kidney failure.

With kidney disease that has progressed over time, dialysis or a kidney transplant is needed.  Dialysis is needed when the waste products in failing kidneys get too high and the patient begins to get sick from it.  There are 2 different types of dialysis: hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis.  I am only focusing on peritoneal dialysis. 

Ok, so what is it?  Peritoneal dialysis does the job of the kidneys when they are failing and not able to work properly.  Peritoneal dialysis uses a fluid that is placed into the patient’s abdominal cavity byway of a port inserted in the stomach.  The fluid helps remove excess waste products and other toxins from the body.

During dialysis and after kidney transplantation, the patient will routinely get blood work done to check the creatinine level and the blood urea nitrogen (BUN).  These levels are checked very closely to determine if the kidneys are working properly.  A rise in these levels indicates decreased kidney function.

If you want more information, check out my links on kidney disease and dialysis.


http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/understanding-kidney-disease-basic-information

http://www.medicinenet.com/dialysis/page2.htm