Kidney failure happens when one or both kidneys

stop functioning normally.

This could be due to infections,

urine elimination problems

or some underlying diseases.

Instead of being excreted,

wastes like urea,

creatinine,

uric acid

and ammonium ions remain in blood.

Accumulation of these substances

is toxic to the human system

and could prove to be fatal

if not treated in time.

The treatments currently available

are dialysis or a transplant.

Dialysis is also called haemodialysis.

It is a process or procedure

to eliminate excess salts

and nitrogenous wastes from blood.

It does not absorb or secrete anything.

During dialysis,

the patient's blood from the modified blood vessel in his arm

is passed into the dialysis machine

and returned after being cleaned.

The dialysis fluid is changed regularly

to remove wastes

and to maintain a diffusion gradient

between the patient's blood and the dialysis fluid.

The dialysis machine contains the following parts:

a steel tub with a filter

filled with a warm fluid set at 37°C

to suit the patient's body temperature.

The machine also has a narrow tubular coil of cellophane

with pores and a sterile dialysis fluid.

The tubular coil of cellophane

is semi-permeable in nature.

It allows small molecules to pass through,

prevents blood cells and large proteins from leaving

and provides large surface area

for material exchange.

The sterile dialysis fluid

surrounds the cellophane tube

and contains regulated amounts of dissolved salts and sugars.

Once a kidney fails,

there are very rare chances of its healing,

hence this procedure has to be carried out

until the kidney is replaced with a new one.

Transplantation is a major operation

through which a failed or dysfunctional kidney

is replaced with a healthy one.

Kidney transplant is associated with better quality of life,

lower risk of death,

fewer dietary restrictions

and lower cost of treatment

compared to a lifetime on dialysis.

You can keep your kidney healthy

by keeping yourself active,

maintaining your weight,

controlling sugar level and blood pressure,

avoiding over the counter pills,

avoiding smoking

and also maintaining a healthy fluid intake.