If you have diabetes, high blood pressure or a family history of kidney disease, be sure to tell your physician. These factors may put you at risk for kidney failure, a life-threatening condition that often goes unnoticed in the early stages.

The kidneys are the body's waste management system. They filter out toxins and extra fluid from the blood. When kidney failure sets in, the body no longer cleanses itself and fills with fluid and waste products. Late-stage kidney disease (also called renal disease) may cause:

• Weakness
• Nausea
• Bloating
• Swelling in extremities, such as hands and feet

If treatment is delayed, patients with late-stage kidney disease may suffer from seizures, lapse into comas or even die. Fortunately, early medical intervention can enable people to successfully manage their condition.

Richard Friedman, MD

"People with less than 10 percent of normal kidney function will need to undergo dialysis or have a kidney transplant," says Richard Friedman, MD, a board-certified nephrologist and internist at Central Montgomery Medical Center (CMMC).

Getting Relief
Dialysis takes the place of normal functioning kidneys by removing waste from the blood through mechanical methods.

During hemodialysis, blood is sent through a machine that filters away waste products. The clean blood is returned to the body. This treatment is performed at CMMC's Outpatient Dialysis Unit and usually takes place three times a week for three to four hours.

For peritoneal dialysis, a soft catheter is implanted in a patient's abdominal cavity. A solution that captures waste products from the blood drips through the catheter into the abdomen. After several hours, the solution containing waste material is drained away.

"The advantage of peritoneal dialysis is that patients can perform the treatments at home, usually while they sleep," Dr. Friedman says.

To learn more about services offered at CMMC's Outpatient Dialysis Unit, please call 215-393-8150.

Central Montgomery Medical Center 100 Medical Campus Drive, Lansdale, PA 19446 215-368-2100 | FAX 215-361-4933