Renal Failure Blog

For Some Kidney Patients, Home Dialysis Is Better

Posted 3+ months ago by Drugs.com

SATURDAY, July 25 – More than 340,000 Americans are on dialysis to treat kidney failure, but only a tiny fraction are taking advantage of a treatment option that may improve their quality of life.

Studies suggest that home hemodialysis administered overnight, otherwise known as "nocturnal dialysis," may be a better way to go for some patients. The key advantage is it allows for many more hours of blood-cleansing therapy than a kidney patient would typically receive in a conventional, three-times-a-week dialysis center-based program. Read more...

Related support groups: Hemodialysis, Renal Failure

Sleeping Through Dialysis May Be the Way to Go

Posted 3+ months ago by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, May 21 – Nighttime dialysis, done while people are asleep, not only frees up time during their days but is probably better for their health as well, a new study suggests.

Although lifesaving, dialysis is time-consuming and often inconvenient for those who need it. Nighttime dialysis, a newer option, actually takes longer but is done while a person sleeps.

"The concept is simple," explained Dr. Robert Provenzano, chief of nephrology at St. John Hospital and Medical Center in Detroit. "Since normally our kidneys work 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the more time you spend with your blood being cleaned, the better it is for you metabolically." Read more...

Related support groups: Peritoneal dialysis, Renal Failure

Networking May Aid Blacks Who Need Kidney Transplant

Posted 3+ months ago by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, March 27 – Social and medical networking can improve the chances that blacks who have kidney failure will acquire a new kidney, a survey has found.

"Research overwhelmingly indicates that African-Americans are less likely to successfully get kidney transplants, even allowing for differences in socioeconomic and insurance status and patient preference," Teri Browne, of the University of South Carolina, said in a National Kidney Foundation news release. Read more...

Related support groups: Renal Failure