Nephrology refers to the kidney, and the nephrologist treats people with kidney diseases of various types, including those who have lost kidney function entirely and must rely on dialysis or kidney transplant.
Nephrology also includes illnesses caused by abnormalities of the body's water and chemical balance,
hypertension (high blood pressure) and diabetes.
The nephrologist treats people with kidney diseases of various types, such as urinary tract infections, kidney stones, diabetes, high blood pressure and the more advanced form of kidney disease, permanent kidney failure (End Stage Renal Disease or ESRD).
The kidneys are organs that primarily remove waste from the body in the form of urine. The body has two kidneys, but if one of them is damaged or stops working, the body can usually function with the remaining kidney. If both kidneys stop functioning due to disease, patients experience end-stage renal disease (ESRD), or total kidney failure. If not treated immediately, patients can die within days due to the build-up of toxins and fluid in their blood. More than 300,000 Americans today have ESRD and are dependent on artificial dialysis to stay alive.Other functions include filtering toxins from the blood, help to regulate blood pressure and the balance of certain important nutrients such as potassium and calcium.
Hypertension
Diabetes
Problems in Pregnancy
Infection
Inflammation of blood vessels in the kidneys
Kidney stones and cysts
Medications
Dialysis - Although Dialysis is not a cure, it is a life-saving process that artificially replaces the functions of the kidney. There are two types of dialysis: hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis. Hemodialysis involves removing blood from the body and filtering it in a machine. Peritoneal Dialysis is internal or in-body dialysis. Peritoneal dialysis entails use of a blood-cleansing solution called "dialysate" that is injected into the peritoneal cavity, the region of the abdomen that is lined by the peritoneum. The dialysate works to extract toxins and excess fluid from the blood. After a period of time, the solution is then drained from the body cavity.
Transplantation - Patients can receive a kidney transplant and regain successful kidney functions. The best possible source of kidney donation is a close relative whose blood and tissue type match the patient's. Other sources of donated organs include cadavers and living donors who are not blood relatives, such as a spouse or friend. New anti-rejection drugs have improved the success rates of transplants from organ donations outside blood relatives.