Conditions

Hemodialysis

• Definition
• Causes
• Risk Factors
• Symptoms

• Diagnosis
• Treatment

Definition

Kidneys play an important role in a patients body. The kidney is responsible for cleaning the blood of waste products, unwanted minerals, and excess fluids. When a patient's kidneys stop working, they are unable to cleanse the blood of it's waste products. One of the methods to replace that function is called hemodialysis. The dialysis machine is able to process a large volume of blood quite rapidly.

Causes:

• Inherited diseases
• Diabetes
• Autoimmune diseases
• High Blood Pressure

Risk Factors

• High Blood Pressure
• Poorly controlled diabetes
• Overuse of pain killers

Symptoms

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Weakness
• Fatigue
• Confusion
• Difficulty concentrating
• Loss of appetite

Diagnosis

Kidney function can be tested via blood and urine tests.

Treatment

• Diet
• Medications
• Dialysis-if this is chosen, your nephrologist (a doctor who specialized in kidneys) might refer you to a surgeon to have a procedure done to make dialysis access easier.
• Hemodialysis-if this is chosen, your nephrologist (a doctor who specialized in kidneys) might refer you to a surgeon to have a procedure done to make hemodialysis access easier.
• Peritoneal dialysis