The Role of Dialysis in Glomerular Disease: When Is It Necessary and How Does It Work?

Glomerular diseases, which include conditions like glomerulonephritis and nephrotic syndrome, affect your glomeruli — the tiny filtering units within your kidneys. These diseases can lead to a variety of complications that damages your kidneys’ ability to filter blood properly. Over time, if glomerular disease progresses, it can result in chronic kidney disease (CKD) or even end-stage renal disease (ESRD).

If you want to know more about glomerular disease, visit us at Doral Health and Wellness Urology Center and consult with the best nephrologists and urologists in East New York.

Here’s the relationship between glomerular disease and dialysis:

  • Progression to Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) — Glomerular diseases can cause damage to your kidneys over time, leading to CKD. This chronic condition means that the kidneys gradually lose their filtering capabilities. When these happens, you might eventually need to undergo dialysis.
  • Development of End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) — If CKD continues to progress without effective intervention or if the glomerular disease is particularly aggressive, it can lead to ESRD. At this stage, your kidneys are no longer able to function adequately to meet your body’s needs. Hence dialysis.

Requirement for Dialysis

When your condition reaches CKD and/or ESRD, you will need renal replacement therapy to survive. Dialysis is one of the primary forms of renal replacement therapy. It involves using a machine to filter waste products and excess fluids from your blood, a task that your kidneys can no longer perform effectively.

There are two main types of dialysis:

  • Hemodialysis — This involves circulating your blood through a machine that filters out waste products and then returns the cleansed blood to your body.
  • Peritoneal Dialysis — This uses the lining of your abdominal cavity (peritoneum) as a filter to remove waste products from your blood.

In summary, glomerular diseases can lead to kidney damage and potentially ESRD, at which point dialysis becomes necessary to perform the blood filtration functions that your damaged kidneys can no longer manage.

If you suspect or have symptoms for glomerular disease, consult your medical provider immediately and have yourself checked. At Doral Health and Wellness Urology Center, our team of urologist will work with you in managing your disease and your quality of life. To schedule an appointment, please visit us at 1797 Pitkin Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11212 or call 1-347-384-5690. You can also visit our website at https://www.urologistbrooklyn.com/.