Who needs dialysis?
People whose overall kidney function is so poor that it threatens health and survival are said to have end-stage renal disease (ESRD), and need renal replacement therapy–either dialysis or kidney transplantation. When a kidney transplant is not immediately available or not possible, dialysis can replace the critical functions of the kidneys and sustain life. Today, about 350,000 people in the United States use dialysis as renal replacement therapy. What do the kidneys do? Understanding the basic functions of the kidney is helpful to understanding dialysis. Each kidney contains filtering units called nephrons–about one million of them. The nephrons clean, or filter the blood of waste products that are produced every day by the body. The amounts of fluid, salts, and body chemicals circulating in the blood are regulated by the kidneys and the kidneys also produce hormones essential to blood pressure control, bone health, and red blood cell production to prevent anemia. As the kidneys fa
People whose overall kidney function is so poor that it threatens health and survival are said to have end-stage renal disease (ESRD), and need renal replacement therapy–either dialysis or kidney transplantation.When a kidney transplant is not immediately available or not possible, dialysis can replace the critical functions of the kidneys and sustain life. Today, about 350,000 people in the United States use dialysis as renal replacement therapy.
