Kidney Failure: What Happens and the Treatment Choices

Healthy kidneys clean your blood by removing extra fluid, minerals and wastes. They also make hormones that keep your bones strong and your blood healthy.

When kidneys fail

If the kidneys are damaged, they don't work properly:

• harmful wastes can build up in your body;
• your blood pressure may rise;
• your body may hold on to extra fluid;
• it may not make enough red blood cells.

This is kidney failure, and it needs treatment to take over the work the kidneys normally do.

Treatment

There are two options, dialysis or a kidney transplant, and each has benefits and drawbacks. Whichever you choose, you will need to make changes in your life, including how you eat and how you plan your activities. With the help of health care providers, family and friends, most people with kidney failure can lead full, active lives.

Sources

• MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine, "Kidney Failure," drawing on the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIH). https://medlineplus.gov/kidneyfailure.html
• Rewritten in hubnx's own words.