Kidney Failure: Should I Start Dialysis?
Guides through decision whether to start kidney dialysis for kidney failure. Covers key factors in decision. Covers benefits and risks. Offers interactive tool to help you make your decision.
Guides through decision whether to start kidney dialysis for kidney failure. Covers key factors in decision. Covers benefits and risks. Offers interactive tool to help you make your decision.
Guides through decision about what type of dialysis to have for kidney failure. Explains the two basic types of dialysis: hemodialysis and peritoneal. Covers benefits and risks. Includes an interactive tool to help you make your decision.
Discusses the decision about when to start dialysis. Includes what kidney failure is, the treatment for it, and reasons why you might or might not want to start dialysis. Includes interactive tool to help you make your decision.
If you have diabetes, your kidneys could become damaged over time. Diabetic kidney disease is sometimes called diabetic nephropathy. In severe cases, it can lead to kidney failure. Diabetic kidney disease usually has no symptoms in the early stages. So it's important to have regular tests. They can alert you and your...
A kidney infection occurs when bacteria travel from the bladder up the ureters and into the kidneys. Sometimes kidney infections may occur when bacteria in the blood enter the kidneys. Symptoms of kidney infection may include: Painful urination and other symptoms of a bladder infection. Pain in the flank, which is felt...
Symptoms of a kidney infection may include: Pain in the flank, which is felt just below the rib cage and above the waist on one or both sides of the back. Fever or chills. Pain or burning when you urinate. A frequent urge to urinate without being able to pass much urine. Belly pain.
Discusses nuclear scanning test to check way kidney works or its shape and size. Also called a renal scan. Covers use to check for cancer or how transplanted kidney is working. Explains how camera scans for radiation to make pictures of kidney.
Kidney stones are made of salts and minerals in the urine that stick together to form small "pebbles." They may form when the normal balance of water, salts, minerals, and other substances found in urine changes. How this balance changes determines the type of kidney stone you have. Most kidney stones are...
Covers test done on a kidney stone to find out what the stone is made of. Links to info on types of stones, including calcium, uric acid, struvite, and cystine. Explains that test can help doctor decide treatment or give info on preventing more stones from forming.
Kidney stones are made of salts and minerals in the urine that stick together to form small "pebbles." They are usually painless while they remain in the kidney. But they can cause severe pain when small pieces leave the kidney and travel through the narrow tubes (ureters) to the bladder. Symptoms of a kidney stone...
Courtesy of Intermountain Medical Imaging, Boise, Idaho. These figures show an X-ray with contrast dye (intravenous pyelogram, or IVP) of the kidneys, ureters, and bladder. Figure 1 shows a normal flow from the kidneys, through the ureters, to the bladder (white arrows). Figure 2 shows a kidney stone blocking the normal...
Explains why and how kidney stones form. Covers types of stones such as calcium, cystine, uric acid, and struvite. Discusses symptoms. Covers treatment, including extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy and ureteroscopy. Offers prevention tips.
Kidney stones are small stones made of minerals in the urine that stick together. They can cause severe pain as they travel through the ureters (tubes that connect the kidneys and the bladder) to exit the body when you urinate. Your doctor may give you medicine to ease the pain until you pass the stone. If the stone is...
Find the source and stop the pain of kidney stones. Hard masses that grow from crystals forming in the kidneys, they typically cause severe back pain that may radiate to the groin area. According to research or other evidence, the following self-care steps may be helpful. Drink plenty of fluids Water, lemonade, and most...
Learn what kidney stones are.
Offers tips for changing your diet to help prevent kidney stones. Discusses water, protein, and fiber needs and limiting or avoiding certain foods and supplements. Includes tips for people who've had a calcium or oxalate kidney stone.
Guides through decision to have extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy to break up kidney stones. Describes what lithotripsy is and when it is normally used. Covers benefits and risks. Includes an interactive tool to help you make your decision.
Discusses surgery to replace a diseased kidney with a healthy one. Explains what a living donor is. Covers what to expect after surgery. Looks at risks. Links to picture of kidney transplant. Links to more in-depth info on organ transplant.
During kidney transplant surgery, a healthy kidney (donor kidney) replaces your own diseased kidneys, which may or may not be removed.
Learn what happens during a kidney transplant and how to prepare.
Learn how to care for yourself after a kidney transplant.
The kidneys are two bean-shaped organs located on either side of the spine, at the small of the back. The kidneys filter wastes from the blood and help balance water, salt, and mineral levels in the blood. Wastes filtered out of the blood are carried out of the body as urine. Urine flows through tubes (ureters) to the...
The kidneys are organs located on either side of the spine, at the small of the back. Kidneys filter the blood and help balance water, salt, and mineral levels in the blood. They also produce hormones that help regulate blood pressure and blood supply. Waste from the kidneys is carried out of the body in urine. Urine...
Africanized honeybees are called "killer bees" because they aggressively attack in great numbers, leading to massive stinging incidents. The large amount of venom injected by many bees at one time can cause death. The venom of the Africanized honeybee is no more likely to cause an allergic reaction or toxic reaction...
What are kissing bugs? Kissing bugs are wingless insects that are about 0.75 in. (1.9 cm) long. Kissing bugs are dark brown or black with red or orange spots along the edge of their bodies. They are also called assassin bugs or cone-nosed bugs. Like mosquitoes, kissing bugs feed on blood from animals or people. Kissing...
Provides a summary of interactions with vitamins, herbs, and food
Provides a summary of interactions with vitamins, herbs, and food
What is Klinefelter syndrome? Klinefelter syndrome is a genetic condition that affects males. Klinefelter syndrome occurs when someone is born with one or more extra X chromosomes. Most males have one Y and one X chromosome. Having extra X chromosomes can cause someone to have a variety of physical traits. Many people...
Klinefelter syndrome is a genetic condition that affects males. Typically, males have one X and one Y chromosome; males with Klinefelter syndrome have at least two X chromosomes in addition to their Y chromosome and, in rare cases, as many as three or four. Symptoms, when present, vary from one person to another...
The knee joint is where the thighbone (femur) and the shinbone (tibia) come together. A smaller bone called the fibula, on the outside of the lower leg, is also related to the knee joint. The kneecap (patella) is in front of the end of the thigh bone. The bones are connected by several strong ligaments and cushioned by...