• What is End Stage Kidney Disease?

• What are the Risk Factors?

• Dialysis

• Transplantation

• For Organ Donors

 

What is End Stage Kidney Disease?

End-Stage Kidney Disease, or End-Stage Renal Disease or ESKD, happens when your kidneys fail and no longer work on their own.Healthy kidneys clean your blood by removing extra fluid, minerals, and wastes. When your kidneys fail, harmful wastes build up in your body, blood pressure rises, and your body can't get rid itself of excess fluids it needs to and may not make enough red blood cells. When this happens, treatment is necessary to do the job of your failing kidneys.

 

What are the Risk Factors for ESRD?

 

Risk Factors Include:

• Diabetes: Diabetes is the biggest risk factor for developing ESKD. In diabetes, the body doesn’t use glucose (sugar) very well. The glucose stays in your blood and acts like a poison. One-third of the people who develop ESRD have diabetes.
• High Blood Pressure:High Blood Pressure, called hypertension, can damage the small blood vessels in the kidneys, preventing the kidneys from filtering wastes from the blood. High blood pressure is the second leading cause of kidney failure. Taking prescription drugs to control blood pressure helps protect the kidneys from damage.
• A History of Glomerular Disease: Glomerular Disease damages the glomeruli, which are tiny bundles of blood vessels that filter blood in the kidneys. Glomerular disease is the third leading cause of kidney failure. For more information on Glomerular Disease, click here.
• Drug Use : Extensive use of over the counter pain medicine, or abuse of illegal drugs can cause kidney failure.

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Dialysis

When your kidneys fail, they are not able to remove wastes and extra fluid from your body anymore. Dialysis helps your body act like it normally would if you had kidneys that worked. You can still have a healthy and fulfilling life on dialysis, and are able to do many of the things you did before your kidney failed, like travel, garden, and work.

Hemodialysis (Blood Separating): In hemodialysis, your blood is sent through a machine that filters away waste products just like a healthy kidney would do. The clean blood is returned to your body. Hemodialysis is usually performed at a dialysis center three times per week for 3 to 4 hours. Hemodialysis can also be done at home.

Peritoneal Dialysis:In peritoneal dialysis, a fluid is put into your abdomen (the "perotineum"). This fluid, called dialysate, captures the waste products from your blood. After a few hours, the dialysate containing your body's wastes is drained away. Then, a fresh bag of dialysate is dripped into the abdomen. Patients can perform peritoneal dialysis themselves, at home. Patients using continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD), the most common form of peritoneal dialysis, change dialysate four times a day.

You can talk to your doctor, nurse, social worker, or other health care worker about what type of dialysis is the best for you. You can also read through the resources listed below:

• Dialysis Options Pamphlet
• Hemodialysis
• Home Dialysis and Medicare Part D
• Peritoneal Dialysis
• Medicare's "You Can Live: Your Guide For Living With Kidney Failure"

Useful Links for dialysis:

• Dialysis Finder
• Home Dialysis Central
• End Stage Renal Disease Networks
• Dialysis Articles from AAKP
  

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Transplantation

If your kidneys stop working, one treatment option is to have surgery to have a donated kidney put into your body as a replacement. A donated kidney may come from an anonymous donor who has recently died or from a living person, usually a relative. The kidney that you receive must be a good match for your body. The more the new kidney is like you, the less likely your body is to reject it. You will take special drugs to help trick your immune system so it does not reject the transplanted kidney.You can talk to your doctor, nurse, social worker, or other health care worker about whether transplantation is a good option for you.

Publications:

• 25 Facts About Organ Donation and Transplantation
• Medicare's "You Can Live: Your Guide For Living With Kidney Failure"
• National Kidney Foundation's Transplant Brochure
• UNC Health Care's Desensitization and Paired Donation Program
  • Paired Kidney Donation Graphic (printable)
  • Paired Kidney Donation Animation

Useful Links for Transplantation

• Alliance for Paired Donation
• Carolina Donor Services (OPO for UNC Hospitals)
• Kidney Transplant Today (AAKP)
• National Kidney Foundation's TransACTION Council
• Transplant Living (UNOS)
• UNC Kidney Transplant Program

 

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For Organ Donors

• Donate Life America
• National Kidney Foundation's Living Donor Website
• Living Donation page from UNOS

 

Sources:
National Kidney Foundation (NKF)
National Institutes for Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases

 

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