Kidney Function and Dysfunction

Kidneys perform several vital functions. They filter toxins from the blood, remove waste from the body (urine), produce a hormone that controls how fast new red blood cells are made, and they help regulate blood pressure and the amount of certain nutrients in the body, such as calcium and potassium. End-stage renal disease develops when both kidneys stop functioning. The most common cause of kidney failure in the United States is diabetes. Other causes include, but are not limited to, high blood pressure, kidney inflammation or infection, polycystic kidney disease, or excessive use of certain medications.

The only available treatment options to stop the life-threatening build-up of toxins and fluid in the blood that occurs during end stage renal disease are dialysis, which replaces the functions of the kidneys, and transplantation.

Whenever possible, transplant surgery should be performed at a stage where the kidneys are just beginning to fail and before the patient begins dialysis. This "pre-emptive" kidney transplantation (when there is less than 15 percent of kidney function left) enables patients to not just avoid dialysis but to also experience the benefits of transplantation as soon as possible. Most importantly, findings indicate that transplants are more successful among patients who receive a kidney from a living donor without having undergone long-term dialysis.