If your kidneys stop working completely, your body fills with extra water and waste products. This condition is called uremia. Your hands or feet may swell. You will feel tired and weak because your body needs clean blood to function properly.
Untreated end-stage renal disease may lead to seizures or coma and will ultimately result in death. If your kidneys stop working completely, you will need to undergo dialysis or kidney transplant.
Dialysis
The two major forms of dialysis are hemodialysis
and peritoneal dialysis. In hemodialysis, your
blood is sent through a machine that filters away waste products.
The clean blood is returned to your body. Hemodialysis is usually
performed at a dialysis center three times per week for 3 or 4
hours.
Transplantation
A donated kidney may come from an anonymous donor who has recently
died or from a living person, usually a relative. The kidney that
you receive must be a good match for your body. The more the new
kidney is like you, the less likely your immune system is to reject
it. Your immune system protects you from disease by attacking
anything that is not recognized as a normal part of your body. So
your immune system will attack a kidney that appears too "foreign."
Special drugs can help trick your immune system so it does not
reject a transplanted kidney.
Source:
Adapted from National Institutes of Health, 3/00
Last reviewed March 2000 by EBSCO Publishing Editorial Staff
Please be aware that this information is provided to supplement the care provided by your physician. It is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. CALL YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IMMEDIATELY IF YOU THINK YOU MAY HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
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