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End Stage Renal Disease services offered in throughout SE Michigan
End-stage renal disease (ESRD) means your kidneys are no longer able to perform their job. If you have ESRD, you need dialysis or kidney transplantation. Hypertension Nephrology Associates, PC, has been providing outstanding health care services for those living in and around the Detroit metropolitan area since 1975. The board-certified specialists provide comprehensive care for ESRD. To discuss your treatment options, call the office in Livonia, Michigan, or schedule an appointment online today.
End Stage Renal Disease Q & A
What is end-stage renal disease?
End-stage renal disease (ESRD) is kidney failure. Your kidneys are vital to life, removing fluid and waste from your blood, maintaining electrolyte balance, regulating blood pressure, and assisting in the production of red blood cells.
With ESRD, your kidneys can no longer perform these functions. Without treatment, waste and fluid build up in your body, leading to life-threatening symptoms.
In most cases, ESRD develops from chronic kidney disease (CKD), a progressive condition that occurs when you have damage to the kidneys, affecting normal function.
What are the symptoms of end-stage renal disease?
You may not have any symptoms during the early stages of CKD. But as the damage and the disease progresses, closer to end-stage renal disease, you may have noticeable symptoms such as:
- Poor appetite
- Itchy skin
- Confusion
- Metallic taste in the mouth
- Muscle cramps
- Muscle twitching
- Edema
- Shortness of breath
- Increase in urination
- Little urine output
- Sleeping more or less than usual
If you have CKD, concerns about kidney health, or any of these symptoms, schedule an evaluation at Hypertension Nephrology Associates, PC.
What tests diagnose end-stage renal disease?
If you have CKD, your provider at Hypertension Nephrology Associates, PC, has you come in for regular lab work to monitor your kidney function. They use the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) to assess kidney function.
The lower your GFR, the more severe your kidney disease — Hypertension Nephrology Associates, PC, diagnoses ESRD when you lose 85-90% of your kidney function.
What are the treatments for end-stage renal disease?
There’s no cure for end-stage renal disease, but the highly skilled physicians at Hypertension Nephrology Associates, PC, can treat kidney failure. Treatment includes dialysis or kidney transplantation.
Dialysis
Dialysis is a treatment that takes over the function of your kidneys, filtering toxins and fluid from your blood. There are two main types of dialysis: hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis.
Hypertension Nephrology Associates, PC, provides both types, along with home dialysis treatment options.
Kidney transplantation
Kidney transplantation is a surgical procedure where your surgeon removes your diseased kidney and replaces it with a healthy donor kidney. The donor kidney may come from a living donor or someone who died.
After a kidney transplant, you must take medications that prevent your body from rejecting the donated kidney. Your new kidney functions normally, so there’s no need for dialysis.
To find out more about end-stage renal disease, call Hypertension Nephrology Associates, PC, or schedule an appointment online today.