Chronic Kidney Disease

Your doctor used a special needle to remove a small piece of tissue from your kidney to examine it for signs of damage and disease. A kidney biopsy is ordered after other tests have shown that there may be a problem with your kidney. Kidney biopsies are also performed when kidney disease is suspected and to rule out cancer.

Most kidney donors live normal lives with one kidney. Once you recover from surgery, you will be able to return to your normal activities. Here's what you need to know about home care after surgery.

Your healthcare provider removed a small piece of tissue from your transplanted kidney to examine it for signs of damage or rejection. The results of a transplant biopsy are usually available within a few hours, so if treatment is needed, it can be started as soon as possible.

You had a procedure called a nephrectomy to remove a kidney because one of your kidneys was not working correctly or because there was a tumor. You can live a normal, healthy life with one kidney.

A percutaneous nephrostomy means that urine was drained from your kidney to prevent pain, infection, and kidney damage. You had the procedure because your kidney or the tube leading from the kidney to the bladder (ureter) was blocked by a kidney stone or tumor, or perhaps due to another problem. The blockage caused a backup of urine in your kidney. Here's how to care for yourself at home.

You were treated in the hospital for kidney infection. Once you return home, here's what you can do to aid in your recovery and prevent future infections.

A look at the tests that can help your healthcare provider find out if you have a stone, why it formed, and recommend treatment.

Learn about the causes of leg swelling in a single leg and how to care for yourself at home.

Learn about peritoneal dialysis and see the story of one patient who is living well on peritoneal dialysis.

Automated Peritoneal Dialysis, or APD, is a type of kidney dialysis that is usually done at home, often while a patient is sleeping. A special machine automatically cycles a washing fluid through the patient's abdomen 3 to 5 times a night, removing excess fluids and any waste material. Watch this program to learn more about APD.

Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis, or CAPD, is a type of kidney dialysis that is done continuously throughout the day. Usually 4 to 5 times each day, the patient fills their abdomen with a special a washing fluid. While the fluid sits in the abdomen it removes excess fluids and any waste material from the blood and is drained from the abdomen. Watch this program to learn more about CAPD.

Hemodialysis is a type of procedure that involves the patient being connected to a machine to clean their blood of any excess fluid or waste material. On average, each session of hemodialysis lasts 4 hours and must be done three times a week in a dialysis center. Learn more about hemodialysis by watching this program.

In order for a dialysis machine to clean excess fluid or waste material from a person's blood, the patient needs to be connected to the machine, usually for several hours, three times a week. This connection, or fistula, is often made in the patient's arm, where an artery is surgically connected to a vein. Learn more about this access point, or AV fistula, and how it works, by watching this program.

If you and your healthcare team have chosen hemodialysis to treat your kidney failure, you'll need an access point, or connection point, so that your blood can be cleaned by the dialysis machine several times a week. For most people, this access point is an AV fistula, often made in the patient's arm. By watching this program, you'll learn how your dialysis care team will access the fistula during dialysis.

If you are receiving hemodialysis, it's likely that you are connected to the dialysis machine through an AV fistula, probably in your arm. It's very important that this access point, or fistula, is in good working order and is free of infection. Learn how to care for your fistula by watching this program.

Being told that you need dialysis because your kidneys are starting to fail, can be very stressful, emotionally as well as physically. By watching this program, you will learn what kinds of resources can help you cope with the emotions, as well as the lifestyle changes that go along being on dialysis.

An AV fistula is a connection between an artery and a vein. For this procedure, an AV fistula is surgically made using an artery and a vein in your arm.

Continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) is a special type of dialysis. It's mostly used to help very sick people whose kidneys suddenly start to fail.

Hemodialysis is often done in a hospital or dialysis center. But it may also be done at home. This is called home hemodialysis (HHD).

A tunneled catheter is one type of vascular access for hemodialysis.

A fistulogram is a type of X-ray. It uses X-ray dye (contrast) to look inside your arteriovenous (AV) fistula vascular access for hemodialysis.

Choosing the right type and quantity of proteins you eat is important when you have chronic kidney disease. This can affect your overall health and kidney function as well.

If your kidneys can't filter wastes from your blood normally, the BUN (blood urea nitrogen) level increases. If the level gets too high, you can become sick. Because of this, you need to control the amount of protein you eat each day. Use this handout to help you.

Healthy kidneys balance the amount of fluid that enters and leaves the body. If your kidneys can't maintain this fluid balance, you may need to limit your fluid intake.

Healthy kidneys balance the amount of fluid that enters and leaves the body. If your kidneys can't maintain this fluid balance, you may need to limit your fluid intake. This handout can help you take in the right amount of fluid each day.

When sodium intake is too high, it can increase thirst and cause the body to retain fluid. To avoid these side effects, people with chronic kidney disease are often told to eat less sodium. The tips on this sheet can show you how.

People with chronic kidney disease should restrict their sodium intake to less than 1,500 mg of sodium (3,800 mg of table salt) each day. Here are foods to avoid.

One critical way to help manage Chronic Kidney Disease is by watching your diet. Many foods can place a lot of stress on the kidneys, so it's important to limit these. Learn how to eat healthy with CKD by watching this program.

This sheet provides important tips for managing sodium for people with chronic kidney disease. © NIH (National Institutes of Health)

The National Kidney Foundation's A to Z Health Guide: dietary guidelines for adults starting on hemodialysis.

This sheet provides important tips for managing phosphorus for people with chronic kidney disease. © NIH (National Institutes of Health)

Kidney disease, phosphorus and your diet.

Kidney disease, potassium and your diet.

This sheet provides important tips for managing potassium for people with chronic kidney disease. © NIH (National Institutes of Health)

This sheet provides important tips for managing protein for people with chronic kidney disease. © NIH (National Institutes of Health)

Living with Chronic Kidney Disease involves a lot of changes, starting with making room for dialysis in your weekly routine. Beyond dialysis, there are several other healthy choices you can make that might include controlling your blood pressure, cholesterol or diabetes, stopping smoking, eating healthy, and getting your weight under control. This program will walk you through some important lifestyle changes that can help you live longer with CKD.

Facing a chronic illness alone can be hard for you and your family. If you have fears or concerns, try talking to people close to you. Also talk with your healthcare team and other people with kidney disease. Don't hesitate to ask for support or help when you need it.

Having kidney failure means many changes in your health and life. It may feel like too much to cope with at times, but you can learn how to deal with these emotions and feel better about your treatment and yourself. Learning as much as you can about kidney failure is a good place to start.

Calcium and phosphorus are minerals found in many foods. Your body works best when these minerals are in balance. But if you have kidney disease, phosphorus may build up in your blood. This can weaken your bones over time. This sheet will help you maintain balance.

If you have kidney disease, phosphorus may build up in your blood. Excess phosphorus in the body tends to bind with calcium and gets deposited in blood vessels and other organs. This can lead to renal bone disease.

By lowering high blood pressure, you can reduce the amount of damage to your kidneys, and help slow any progression of kidney disease. Visit your healthcare provider as scheduled and follow the tips below.

A ureteral stent is temporarily inserted into a ureter to help drain urine into the bladder. It shouldn't interfere with your normal routine. Your stent will be put in by a urologist or another specialist in a hospital or surgery center.

If the kidneys fail, blood is no longer filtered. Waste and extra fluids build up in the body, and chemicals become out of balance. This can make you ill and even cause death. Though kidney failure has no cure, certain treatments can help keep the body working the best it can.

Hemodialysis is a type of treatment for kidney failure (also called end-stage kidney disease or ESRD). It uses a machine that holds a filter called a dialyzer. As blood flows through the dialyzer, waste is removed and fluid and chemicals are balanced. Hemodialysis treatments are usually done at a special dialysis center.

Peritoneal dialysis is a way to cleanse the blood to treat kidney failure. It uses the lining of your abdomen called the peritoneal membrane and a special solution (dialysate).

Before hemodialysis can be done, a way for blood to leave and return to your body (an access) is needed. A hemodialysis access is often made in your arm. The 2 main types of accesses are an arteriovenous fistula (AV fistula) and an arteriovenous graft (AV graft).

Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is a treatment that can take over when your kidneys stop working. The peritoneum is the membrane lining the inside of the belly (abdomen). PD uses the lining of your abdomen as a filter for your blood. Before PD can be done, an opening into this lining (an access) must be made. The access for PD is a soft tube called a catheter placed into your abdomen.

Your body needs plenty of iron to make red blood cells. Because of this, most people who take epoetin alfa (EPO) need extra iron. EPO is the injection that people with kidney disease take to boost their red cells. Iron can be given in pill form or by I.V. Some people receive it both ways.

Most kidney stones are about the size of a grape seed. Stones of this size are small enough to pass naturally. Once it is passed, a stone can be analyzed. This wait-and-see approach is called expectant therapy.

Ureteroscopic stone removal may be done before, after, or instead of other treatments. If you need this procedure, your doctor will discuss its risks and possible complications. You will be told how to prepare. And you will be told about anesthesia.

Percutaneous nephrolithotomy may be done before, after, or instead of other treatments. If you need this procedure, your doctor will discuss its risks and possible complications.

Open surgery may be done before, after, or instead of other treatments. This is usually done if the stone is very large, if you have a serious infection, or the kidney has blockage even after waiting for a while.

You had cryoablation to treat kidney cancer. Here's how to take care of yourself at home after the procedure.

Acute Kidney Injury is a sudden episode of kidney failure or kidney damage, causing a build-up of waste products in your blood and excess fluid in your body. AKI can happen within a few hours or a few days, but it is treatable and your kidneys may recover, unlike in chronic kidney disease where the damage is permanent. Learn the causes and symptoms of Acute Kidney Injury in this program.

Jess Goldman, also known as Sodium Girl, talks about her condition -- Lupus Nephritis

More than 600,000 Americans have End Stage Renal Disease, where their kidneys only function at 15% of normal. At this stage of kidney disease, a patient must go on dialysis or receive a kidney transplant in order to survive. This program will explain what ESRD looks like and will offer suggestions for transitioning into this stage of chronic kidney disease.

In its early stages, people with Chronic Kidney Disease, or CKD, might not even know they have the disease because they have no symptoms. However, the disease is very likely to get worse over time, and it's important to have a good support system to cope with each new stage. In this program, learn how family members, friends, your healthcare team and even others living with CKD can help you adjust to the changes that are required to live with CKD.

Kidney damage can be temporary or permanent, depending on what caused it. Here are some reasons why kidneys may fail.

Anemia is a health problem that affects your blood. Normally, the kidneys make a protein called erythropoietin. It tells your body when to make new red blood cells. But if you have kidney disease, your kidneys may not be able to make enough of this protein. You may also not have enough iron in your body. Iron is vital to making red blood cells.