Dialysis for chronic kidney failure

Your kidneys are your body’s unsung heroes. They’re the quiet achievers, working just as hard as your heart and lungs by filtering waste, fluids and toxins from your blood.

They’re responsible for many vital roles in your everyday health, but when they fail and can no longer function properly, dialysis may be needed.

So, let’s look at chronic kidney failure and the different ways it can be treated with dialysis.

Also known as ‘end-stage kidney disease’, chronic kidney failure occurs when between 85% to 90% of your kidney function is gone.¹

Kidney failure doesn’t happen overnight. It can take months or years to fully develop, which is why many people don’t realise they’re in the early stages of the disease until it has already progressed.

Your kidneys are responsible for filtering waste products and excess fluids from your blood, regulating electrolytes and producing hormones that help manage blood pressure and promote bone health. They work tirelessly day and night to help you urinate.

Chronic kidney failure is often caused by an underlying health condition, such as:

• diabetes
• high blood pressure
• glomerulonephritis (inflammation of the kidney's filtering units)
• polycystic kidney disease (a genetic disorder that causes cysts to form in the kidneys).

When your kidneys stop working, your body fills up with extra water and waste products, which can result in different sorts of trauma on the body, such as too high or low blood pressure, severe dehydration and, if left untreated, death.

Some warning signs of reduced kidney function include:

• high blood pressure
• changes in your urination habits
• change to your urine’s appearance (such as becoming frothy, foamy or bloody)
• leg, ankle or eye puffiness
• kidney pain
• fatigue
• loss of appetite
• problems sleeping
• headaches
• problems concentrating
• itchiness
• shortness of breath
• nausea and vomiting
• bad breath
• a taste of metal in your mouth
• muscle cramps
• pins and needles in your toes or fingers.²

Unfortunately, there’s no cure for chronic kidney failure. Your treatment options will depend on what stage it’s at.

Early stages may be managed with lifestyle changes and/or medication, but sometimes even with management, the disease can progress to kidney failure. In this case, your options include:

• dialysis
• kidney transplant
• comprehensive conservative care.³

Dialysis acts like your kidneys. It helps control your blood pressure and balance important minerals by removing waste products, excess fluids and toxins from the blood.

You’ll most likely stay on dialysis until you receive an organ transplant, if that’s the path you take. ‘Haemodialysis’ and ‘peritoneal dialysis’ are the 2 main types of dialysis treatment.

During haemodialysis, blood is filtered through a dialysis machine called a ‘dialyser’ (sometimes call an ‘artificial kidney’).

Blood is drawn from the body then passed through the dialyser, where it’s filtered to remove waste products and excess fluids. The dialyser contains tiny tubes that have small holes in their walls to allow a special fluid to wash around the fibres.

The cleaned blood is then returned to the body and the special fluid, which contains the toxins and extra fluids you don’t need, is disposed of.

Haemodialysis is typically performed in a dialysis centre or hospital 3 times a week for sessions lasting 4 to 5 hours each. It can also be done at home, however this requires you to do things such as insert your own needles.

Peritoneal dialysis involves using the ‘peritoneal membrane’ (a lining in your abdomen) as a natural filter.

During this dialysis, a special solution is introduced into the abdomen through a tube and continuously moved in and out of the body to allow waste products, toxins and excess fluids to be removed.

Peritoneal dialysis can be done at home by yourself or a trained family member, and can offer more flexibility than haemodialysis.

Both haemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis are effective in managing chronic kidney failure, and may provide you with a reasonable quality of life. However, they’re not a cure for kidney failure and, unless you undergo a kidney transplant, they require lifelong treatment.

Choosing between haemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis depends on a variety of factors (such as your lifestyle and overall health) and is typically made in consultation with a healthcare provider.

Kidney Health Australia offers information, support and advice online or over the phone on 1800 454 363.