Who needs hemodialysis?

If kidneys of some one fail, will need dialysis or a kidney transplant to live. Hemodialysis is the most common kind of dialysis. Another kind of dialysis is peritoneal dialysis.

What is hemodialysis?

Hemodialysis is a way of cleaning wastes and extra fluids from the blood using a machine.

In hemodialysis, blood goes through a tube from the body to a dialyzer. The dialyzer is the machine’s filter. Inside the dialyzer, wastes and extra fluids are cleaned from the blood. Then, the clean blood travels through another tube and back into the body.

How can I prevent End Stage Renal Disease ESRD?

The best way to prevent ESRD is to prevent CKD. Diabetes and high blood pressure are the two leading causes of CKD. You can help to protect your kidneys by keeping these in control. Get your blood sugar and blood pressure checked often.

You an also help protect your kidneys with other healthy habits. You should:

• Have regular check-ups with your doctor
• Eat a low-fat, low-salt diet
• Exercise most days of the week
• Avoid tobacco
• Drink alcohol only in moderation

Also, take medicines the way your doctor tells you. Talk to your doctor before you start any new medicine or supplement.

What is End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) ?

ESRD is when the kidneys stop working well enough for you to live without dialysis or a transplant. This kind of kidney failure is permanent. It cannot be fixed. Most cases of ESRD are caused by diabetes or high blood pressure. Some problems you are born with, some reactions to medicines, and some injuries can also cause ESRD. If you have ESRD, you will need dialysis or a kidney transplant to live.

What is Acute Renal Failure ?

This is when kidney failure happens very quickly. Injuries, major blood loss and some reactions to medicines can cause acute kidney failure. In some cases, this kind of kidney failure may get better. But if your kidneys are very badly damaged, this kind of kidney failure can be permanent.

What is Kidney Failure ?

Kidney failure is when your kidneys stop working well enough for you to live without dialysis or a kidney transplant. There are two kinds of kidney failure:

What can I do if I have Polycystic Kidney Disease PKD?

Unfortunately, there is no cure for PKD yet. Keeping your blood pressure in check, eating a low-sodium (low-salt) diet and preventing (or controlling) diabetes will help to prevent any more damage to the kidneys. This will help to lower the risk of kidney failure.

If cysts cause pain, your doctor may recommend over-the-counter pain relievers or suggest surgery to reduce the size of the cysts. Surgery may also be an option if bleeding is a problem.

How will I know if I have Polycystic Kidney Disease PKD?

If you are having symptoms of PKD or think that you may be at risk for the disease, talk to your doctor. For all types of PKD, doctors will use ultrasound, MRI or CT imaging to look at the cysts. Your doctor may also ask about a family history of PKD to determine your level of risk.

Genetic tests are available if ADPKD is suspected, but they may be of little use. There is no cure for PKD. A genetic test cannot tell when the disease will present or how severe it will be.

Who is at Risk of Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD)

PKD is found in men and women of all races equally. Because it is a genetic disease, a person is more at risk for having PKD if one of his/her parents has the disease. People of all ages can have PKD, but usually does not appear until adulthood. In other words, a child may have PKD but not show any signs.

How Can I Prevent Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD)

Nearly all PKD cases are due to an inherited disease and cannot be prevented. Instead, treatment focuses on slowing damage caused by the disease.

What Are Symptoms of Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD)

Symptoms of PKD may include:

* pain in the back or sides
* high blood pressure
* frequent headaches
* urinary tract infections (UTIs)
* blood in the urine (hematuria)

But, not everyone with PKD has these symptoms. If you think that you may be at risk for PKD, talk to your doctor about being checked for the disease.

What is Difference between PKD different and simple kidney cysts?

It is normal for our kidneys to develop small, fluid-filled cysts as we age. These are called simple kidney cysts and are almost always benign (not harmful). In contrast, PKD occurs when a genetic disease causes cysts to form and grow out of control and overrun the kidneys. These cysts can slowly damage the kidneys and, in some cases, cause the kidneys to fail.

What is Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) ?

Over 600,000 Americans have polycystic kidney disease (PKD). This genetic disease causes many cysts to grow in the kidneys. Over time, these cysts damage the kidneys and can even lead to kidney failure.

How will I know if my child has nephrotic syndrome?

Your child’s doctor will need to do a couple of tests to find out if your child has nephrotic syndrome.

First, the doctor will test a sample of your child’s urine for protein. If this test shows a high protein level, the doctor will want to test the urine again. You may be asked to check your child’s urine for protein over a couple of days at home. In this case, your child’s doctor will give you directions on how to get and check the urine sample.

If your child’s urine still shows a high protein level, the next step is a blood test. The doctor will draw some of your child’s blood to test it for several chemicals. These include electrolytes, protein, creatinine and BUN (blood urea nitrogen). These tests can help tell if your child has nephrotic syndrome or suggest another cause for the protein in your child’s urine.

In some cases, your child’s doctor may suggest a kidney biopsy. This means that a tiny piece of the kidney will be removed and viewed under a microscope. Usually, this can be done with a needle and does not require surgery. A kidney biopsy can show what type of nephrotic syndrome your child has and if there are any other problems.

How to Prevent my child from getting nephrotic syndrome?

Because we do not know what causes nephrotic syndrome, we cannot prevent it. In other words, there is nothing you can do to keep your child from getting nephrotic syndrome.

What are the symptoms?

• Swelling around the eyes, face, feet and ankles.
• A basic urine test will have a high protein level.
• A blood test will show a low level of protein.

What is Treatment of Nephrotic Syndrome ?

Your doctor may prescribe a diuretic (“water pill”) and suggest a low-sodium (low-salt) diet to treat the swelling caused by nephrotic syndrome. Healthy habits to avoid causing more damage to the kidneys are also recommended. These include good diet, exercise and medicines to keep blood pressure and blood sugar at healthy levels. Any other problems that your doctor finds from a blood test or biopsy should also be treated.

Is nephrotic syndrome curable?

Unfortunately there is no cure for nephrotic syndrome. Treating the symptoms and controlling protein loss are the only options.

What are the symptoms of Nephrotic Syndrome?

* Swelling around the eyes, face, feet and ankles.
* A urine test will show high protein levels.
* A blood test will show low protein levels and high cholesterol.

How will I know if I have nephrotic syndrome?

Your doctor can do a couple of tests to find out if you have nephrotic syndrome.

First, the doctor will test a sample of your urine for protein. If this test is positive for protein, the doctor will want to test your urine again. You may be asked to collect your urine for 24 hours at home. Your doctor will check to see how much protein is in this 24-hour sample.

If the protein level is high in the 24-hour sample, your doctor may do a blood test. Low protein and high cholesterol in your blood test may be further signs of nephrotic syndrome.

If a diagnosis is still unclear, your doctor may ask that you have a biopsy. This means that a tiny piece of your kidney will be removed and viewed under a microscope. Usually, this can be done with a needle and does not require surgery. A kidney biopsy may also help the doctor find any underlying problems.

What is nephrotic syndrome?

Healthy kidneys filter waste and extra fluid from blood. The body gets rid of these wastes and fluid through urine. In nephrotic syndrome, some protein gets removed along with the wastes. This is a problem, because the body needs protein.

Protein acts as a sponge in the blood. It holds fluids that the body needs inside the arteries and veins. If there is not enough protein, this fluid leaks out into other body tissues. The result is edema, or swelling. This usually happens around the eyes, face, feet, ankles and abdomen.

How can I prevent nephrotic syndrome?

In adults, nephrotic syndrome happens when the kidneys are damaged, often by diabetes or high blood pressure. The best way to reduce your risk of getting nephrotic syndrome is to prevent diabetes and high blood pressure. If you have diabetes or high blood pressure, make sure to keep it in control with diet, exercise and any medicines that your doctor prescribes.

How is Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) treated ?

With CKD, the damage to your kidneys is permanent. It cannot be fixed. But you can help protect your kidneys and keep them from getting worse. That is why it is so important to catch and treat CKD early.

To help treat your CKD and prevent kidney failure:

* Control any diabetes
* Control any high blood pressure
* Control cholesterol
* Avoid tobacco
* Eat a low-salt diet
* Exercise most days of the week

Talk to your doctor about other ways to help prevent kidney failure. Ask whether an ACE Inhibitor or ARB medicine is right for you. These are the best medicines we have for helping to protect the kidneys. Also ask how you can prevent other health problems caused by CKD, like bone disease and anemia.

How do I know if I have Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)

CKD usually has no signs or symptoms until it is very far along. The only way to know if you have CKD is to have some simple medical tests. Ask your doctor about these tests:

* Blood pressure check
* Urine test
* Blood test for eGFR

How can I prevent Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)

Diabetes and high blood pressure are the two leading causes of CKD. The best thing you can do to help protect your kidneys is to keep these in control. Get your blood sugar and blood pressure checked often.

You can also help prevent CKD with other healthy habits. You should:

• Have regular check-ups with your doctor
• Eat a low-fat, low-salt diet
• Exercise most days of the week
• Avoid tobacco
• Drink alcohol only in moderation

Who Gets Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)

Anyone can develop CKD. Some people are more likely to have CKD than others. Click on any of the links below for more information.

You are at more risk for CKD if you have:

* Diabetes
* High blood pressure
* A family member with kidney failure
* Heart disease
* Are over 60 years old

Some racial and ethnic groups are also more likely to have CKD. These include:

* African Americans
* Hispanics/Latinos
* Native Americans
* Asian and Pacific Islanders

What is Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)

CKD is the permanent loss of some kidney function. This happens when the tiny filters in the kidneys (called glomeruli) are damaged.

Many different things can cause this damage. Diabetes and high blood pressure are the two main causes of CKD. Some other diseases, injuries and kidney problems that are left untreated can also cause CKD.

How Proteinuria is it treated?

If your urine has protein, your doctor will want to run more tests to find the cause. Often, the next step is another urine test. This is done to see whether or not there is still protein in your urine. For this, your doctor may ask you to collect your urine at home for twenty-four hours.

If this second test shows no protein, you may not need any treatment. But your doctor might want to follow up with routine urine tests to see if the protein returns.

If the second test does show protein, your doctor may want to do other tests to find the cause. The treatment for your proteinuria will depend on the cause.

Because proteinuria can be an early sign of kidney disease, it is important to see your doctor for early treatment!

How will I know if there is protein in my urine?

Unfortunately, there are usually no signs of protein in the urine. In some cases, proteinuria may cause urine to look foamy, but this is not always true.

A simple urine test at your doctor’s office can tell if there is protein in your urine.

What causes proteinuria?

Proteinuria can be caused by many conditions. Sometimes, the cause is harmless. For example, not drinking enough water or exercising more than usual can cause protein to show up in urine. But protein in the urine can also be an early sign of kidney disease. Your doctor may need to do more tests to tell the difference.

What is proteinuria?

Proteinuria is the medical name for having protein in your urine.

Healthy kidneys filter waste and extra fluid from blood. The body gets rid of these wastes and fluid through urine. With proteinuria, some protein “leaks” out of the blood along with the wastes.

Protein acts like a sponge in the blood. It holds fluids that the body needs inside arteries and veins. If there is not enough protein, this fluid leaks out into other body tissues. This causes swelling, or edema. This usually happens around the eyes, face, feet, ankles and belly.

Proteinuria is an early sign of kidney damage.

How is Hematuria it treated?

Because there are many causes of hematuria, there are also many treatments. Talk to your doctor about what is causing the blood in your urine and what treatment is right for you.

How will I know if I have hematuria?

If you have macrohematuria, the blood will make your urine look red or brown.

If you have microhematuria, you will not be able to see the blood in your urine. In this case, your doctor will need to look at a sample of your urine under a microscope to see the blood cells. For this reason, urine tests are part of regular checkups.

What causes hematuria?

Blood in your urine can be caused by many conditions. Often, the cause is harmless. For example, exercise can cause hematuria that will go away in a day or so. Other causes, like urinary tract infections (UTIs) or kidney stones, are only serious if they are left untreated. Still, blood in your urine might be a sign of a more serious problem.

Talk to your doctor to find out what is causing your hematuria. He or she will probably ask for another urine sample. If there is still blood in your urine, you may be asked to give a blood sample so that the doctor can check how well your kidneys are working. These tests can also tell your doctor whether or not you have an infection.

If your doctor suspects kidney damage or cannot find a cause for the blood in your urine, he or she may suggest an ultrasound or intravenous pyelogram (IVP) to get a picture of your urinary tract. This can show if you have a kidney stone, tumor or blockage.

Sometimes the cause for hematuria is never found.

What is hematuria?

Hematuria (hee-muh-TOOR-ee-uh) means having blood in your urine. There are two kinds of hematuria:

• Macroscopic hematuria: when you can see the blood in your urine. Your urine may look red or brown. Also called macrohematuria.
• Microscopic hematuria: when you have blood cells in your urine that can only be seen under a microscope. With this kind, your urine will look normal. Also called microhematuria.

What Are Common Kidney Problems?

Kidney problems send millions of people to the doctor each year. Some of the most common kidney problems include:

Blood in the Urine (Hematuria)

Protein in the Urine (Proteinuria)

Kidney Stones

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)

Nephrotic Syndrome in Adults

Childhood Nephrotic Syndrome

Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD)

What if I have diabetes?

If you already have diabetes, you can lessen your chance of developing kidney disease by keeping your blood sugar under control. Some ways to do this are to:

* Check your blood sugar often.
* Ask your doctor about a blood test called “hemoglobin A1C.” This tests how your normal blood sugars have been over the past 2 or 3 months. It is a kind of “report card” for your blood sugar.
* Follow your doctor’s advice about insulin injections, medicines, diet and exercise.

You can also reduce your risk for kidney failure if you:

* Monitor your blood pressure. If your blood pressure is high, talk to your doctor about taking an ACE inhibitor.
* Have your doctor check your urine for protein.
* Ask your doctor to calculate your eGFR (estimated glomerular filtration rate). This number is based on the creatinine level in your blood, as well as your age, sex and race.

What can I do to prevent diabetes?

Healthy eating and exercise habits are the best way to prevent diabetes. These are also great ways to help keep diabetes in control if you already have it.

To eat healthy, pick foods that are nutrient-rich. This means that they have many vitamins, but not much fat or sugar. When it comes to foods that are high in sugar, like ice cream or cookies, make sure that you are not overeating. You can still eat these foods, but eat them in moderation.

Exercising three or four times a week is another way to lower your risk of developing diabetes. For example, you might go for walks, run, bike, swim, join a local sports team or try a dance class. The key here is to start small and find something that you enjoy.

How will I know if I have diabetes?

Diabetes often has no symptoms or warning signs. The only way to be sure is to have your blood tested for glucose (blood sugar). If symptoms do appear, they might include:

• Feeling tired
• Feeling irritable
• Urinating more than normal
• Being very thirsty
• Being very hungry
• Unexplained weight loss
• Blurred vision

If you are experiencing some of these symptoms or think that you might be at risk for diabetes, be sure to talk to your doctor about getting tested.

Who is at risk of diabetes?

Anyone can develop diabetes, but some people are more at risk than others. You are at greater risk for diabetes if you:

• Are over 45 years old.
• Are overweight.
• Are African American, Hispanic/Latino, Asian, Pacific Islander or American Indian.
• Have a family history of diabetes.
• Have high cholesterol.
• Have had gestational diabetes during pregnancy.
• Have given birth to a baby that weighed more than 9 lbs.
• Exercise less than 3 times a week.

While you cannot change some of these factors, you can change others. For example, you cannot change your age, but you can exercise more often. These kinds of changes will help reduce your risk of developing diabetes.

What is diabetes?

Diabetes happens when the body cannot make or use insulin correctly. Insulin is a hormone that turns the sugars in the foods we eat into energy. When a person has diabetes, too much sugar stays in the blood. This can damage different parts of the body, including the heart, blood vessels, eyes, nerves and kidneys. There are a few different types of diabetes:

Type 1: The body cannot make insulin. It is also called “juvenile diabetes”.
Type 2: The body cannot use the insulin that it makes, or the insulin that it makes does not work correctly.
Gestational: Diabetes during pregnancy.

Type 1 Diabetes

A small number of people diagnosed with diabetes have type 1 diabetes. This is more common in children and young adults. In type 1 diabetes, the body stops making insulin. People who have type 1 diabetes need to take insulin shots or use an insulin pump. They can also help control their blood sugar with healthy eating and exercise. Type 1 diabetes is more likely to lead to kidney failure than type 2. This is why it is very important to check blood sugar often, eat healthy, exercise and take medicines correctly.

Type 2 Diabetes

The rest of this page is for type 2 (adult) diabetes.

The good news is that type 2 diabetes can often be prevented by healthy habits like a good diet and exercise. If someone already has diabetes, he or she can learn to control it and reduce the risk of complications.

How can I prevent kidney stones?

If you have had kidney stones in the past, you are more likely to have kidney stones in the future. Try to stop stones from forming by:

• Drinking 6 to 8 glasses of water each day
• Eating less salt (sodium), meat and eggs
• Finding out what type of stone you have
• Having a urine test done by your doctor
• Talking to your doctor about your medicines and other tests for kidney stones

Do NOT reduce the calcium in your diet without talking to your doctor first! Studies show that limiting calcium in your diet may not stop kidney stones from forming and may harm your bones.

How are kidney stones treated?

Treatment depends on the type and size of the kidney stone. Drinking plenty of water and taking some medicines can help a small stone to pass more easily. For problem stones, there may be a few options:

Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithrotripsy (ESWL) uses shock waves to break a large stone into smaller pieces that can pass.

Uteroscopic Stone Removal uses a small tool to get and remove stones stuck in the ureters.

Precutaneous Nephrolithotomy uses surgery to remove large stones from the kidneys.

For more information about any of these treatments, please talk to your doctor.

Different types of kidney stones

Yes. There are four main types of kidney stones. Each type has a different cause. Each may need a different kind of treatment or prevention. The four types are:

Calcium-Oxalate Stones: These are the most common kidney stones. They can be caused by eating too much calcium or vitamin D, some medicines, genetics and other kidney problems. Talk to your doctor about ways to stop these stones from forming. Do NOT limit calcium.

Struvite Stones: These stones affect women more than men. They can grow to be very large and harm the kidneys more than other stones. Having kidney infections often may cause struvite stones.

Uric Acid Stones: These stones may be caused by eating too much animal protein or by genetics. To stop uric acid stones, try eating less red meat.

Cystine Stones: These stones are very rare. They are caused by cystinuria, a genetic kidney disease.

Ask your doctor about what kind of stone you have.

What are the symptoms of kidney stone?

Very small stones might pass without causing much pain. Larger stones can block the flow of urine if they get stuck in the ureters, bladder or urethra.

Kidney stones do not usually cause any symptoms until they start to pass. Some symptoms might include:

• Extreme pain in your back or side that will not go away
• Blood in your urine
• Fever and chills
• Vomiting

Who gets kidney stones?

Anyone can get a kidney stone, but it may be more likely if you:

• Are male
• Are Caucasian
• Are very overweight
• Have had kidney infections
• Have a family member with kidney stones
• Have had kidney stones before
• Eat a lot of animal protein (such as meat and eggs)
• Do not drink enough fluids

Some other conditions and medicines can also put you at greater risk for kidney stones.