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What is Dialysis and Chronic Kidney Disease?

2024-03-28T21:07:01-04:00January 4th, 2013|Categories: Early Intervention, Fact Sheet, Peritoneal Dialysis, Symptoms, What Causes Kidney Disease|

It is estimated that more than 31 million American adults have chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, a survey done by the National Medical Association and Amgen shows that most adults know very little about the symptoms or treatment of the disease. How can people be so unaware of a disease that affects so many? Like diabetes and high blood pressure, chronic kidney disease is called a “silent killer” because there are few symptoms and by the time a person realizes they have a problem, much damage has already been done. By sharing information you can help save lives. Because chronic kidney disease happens over [...]

What You Can Do to Manage Your Anemia

2024-03-28T21:07:02-04:00January 4th, 2013|Categories: eNews, Fact Sheet, What Causes Kidney Disease|Tags: |

Anemia is common among individuals with chronic kidney disease. Take this quick quiz to find out if you might have anemia: Do You Have These Symptoms of Anemia? I am very tired all/a lot of the time I feel like my muscles are weaker than they used to be I feel dizzy or lightheaded-like I might pass out I feel short of breath after even a little bit of activity I am cold when others around me are not I feel confused or have trouble thinking clearly I have very pale skin and/or bluish fingernails or lips I crave to chew [...]

Low Blood Pressure – Intradialytic Hypotension

2024-03-28T21:07:05-04:00January 4th, 2013|Categories: eNews, Fact Sheet, Home Hemodialysis, Peritoneal Dialysis, What Causes Kidney Disease|Tags: |

By Dori Schatell, Medical Education Institute One of the main jobs of dialysis is to remove excess water from your body. Seems pretty simple, right? Like wringing out a wet towel? Of course, your body is more complex than a towel—and taking over a task that healthy kidneys did isn’t really so easy. Removing water can lower your blood pressure at dialysis, which can make you feel wretched during and even after a treatment. We’ll tell you why—and how you can stop it. Fluid in Your Body Maybe you’ve heard that the human body is made mostly of water. It’s [...]

The Power of Iron

2024-03-28T21:07:06-04:00January 4th, 2013|Categories: eNews, Fact Sheet, Nutrition, What Is Kidney Disease|

Why is iron so important in kidney disease? The answer is that iron can help with anemia (a lack of red blood cells), which is a common problem for people with kidney disease. Anemia can be a significant problem for you as a kidney patient because of the nature of kidney disease. The kidneys have four basic functions: Removal of waste products Maintain fluid balance Restore electrolyte and acid/base balance Stimulate the release of certain hormones The dialysis process takes care of the first three functions. The hormone erythropoietin (or “EPO”) stimulates your bone marrow to produce red blood cells. Your [...]

High Blood Pressure and Chronic Kidney Disease

2024-03-28T21:07:07-04:00January 4th, 2013|Categories: eNews, Fact Sheet, What Causes Kidney Disease|Tags: |

Blood pressure is the measure of how much pressure or force your heart needs to use to push your blood through your blood vessels.  High blood pressure – a serious medical condition in which the force needed to move the blood is too high, making the heart work extra hard – is one of the top causes of chronic kidney disease (CKD).  When blood pressure is too high, it can cause the walls of blood vessels to thicken and become stiff and can also damage other organs throughout the body. If a person’s kidneys are damaged by diabetes, this can [...]

Treating Anemia

2024-03-28T21:07:08-04:00January 4th, 2013|Categories: eNews, Fact Sheet, What Causes Kidney Disease|Tags: |

This fact sheet answers some questions for people with chronic kidney disease (CKD) or on dialysis who are receiving Erythropoiesis Stimulating Agents (ESAs) to treat their anemia.  This fact sheet also provides some questions to help you talk with your doctor or anemia management nurse about your treatment. Why am I getting this information? You are getting this information because you have been prescribed an ESA or you and your doctor may be considering whether you should take one.  The common brand names for these drugs are Aranesp®, Procrit® and Epogen®. You may have heard or read about risks with [...]

Diabetes and Chronic Kidney Disease

2024-03-28T21:07:09-04:00January 4th, 2013|Categories: eNews, Fact Sheet, What Causes Kidney Disease|Tags: |

People with diabetes have a greater risk of developing serious problems with their kidneys. In fact, diabetes is one of the leading causes of chronic kidney disease (also called CKD). To better understand why diabetes is a top cause of CKD, it is important to know more about diabetes and how it can damage your kidneys. Diabetes is a disease that affects a person’s sugar levels (also called blood glucose levels). There are two main types of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes occurs when the pancreas (an organ in the body behind the stomach) does not make insulin any longer. Type 2 [...]

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