Kidney Disease Care & Prevention

What is kidney disease care?

Kidney disease care refers to the treatment and services you receive to manage your kidney disease. Kidney disease is a condition that occurs when your kidneys, which usually filter waste products out of your blood, and regulate your blood nutrients, stop functioning normally.

Your kidney disease care plan at Houston Kidney Specialists Center might involve more than one conservative treatment. To help your kidneys function better and avoid complications from kidney disease, the team might recommend:

• Dietary adjustments
• Stopping smoking or drinking alcohol 
• Medications for high blood pressure
• Medications for anemia
• Medications for bone strength
• High-cholesterol medications

Effectively treating your kidney disease can help you avoid complications related to kidney disease, including mineral and bone problems, high blood pressure, and electrolyte disorders.

What is kidney disease prevention?

There are steps you can take to prevent kidney disease or to reduce your chances of getting it. If you’re at risk for kidney disease, your provider can help you explore the parts of your lifestyle that are increasing your risk. As part of your prevention plan, they might recommend:

• Consuming a healthy diet
• Achieving a healthy weight
• Stopping smoking
• Limiting the alcoholic beverages you drink
• Finding a healthy way to manage your stress
• Getting enough sleep at night
• Managing other conditions that might cause kidney problems

It also helps to go to the doctor regularly for preventive physical exams. Physical exams and preventive tests can help you find early signs of kidney disease that you might not have noticed. 

Why are kidney disease care and prevention important?

Without proper kidney disease care or prevention, you might develop end-stage kidney disease. Also known as kidney failure, end-stage kidney disease is much more complicated to treat than kidney disease as it causes your kidneys to shut down entirely. 

If you have end-stage kidney disease, you have two main options for treatment: dialysis and kidney replacement surgery. Dialysis is a treatment that performs your kidney function artificially. With hemodialysis, your blood filters through a machine. Another type of dialysis involves a solution that filters your blood.

A kidney transplant allows you to go without dialysis. The transplant can come from a living donor since humans only need one kidney to survive, or from one who is deceased. 

To learn the basics of kidney disease care and prevention, call Houston Kidney Specialists Center, or book an appointment online today.