How can you treat kidney failure?

There are two main treatments for kidney failure: dialysis and transplant. Both have advantages and disadvantages, so sufferers should speak to their consultant to find the best path. A dialysis machine is an artificial kidney. Arterial blood flows continuously from the arm, through a tube and into the machine, where it is filtered by semi-permeable membranes. Urea and excess salt and water diffuse from the blood and into the dialysis fluid; glucose and other usefuls substnces remain in the blood. The filtered blood then returns to a vein in the arm. A kidney transplant usually involves keeping the recipient's two kidneys in his or her body. The donor organ is then placed just above and to the side of the groin. The main blood vessels are bypassed to the donor kidney. Advantages of dialysis: * Better availability - with transplants, patients need to wait for a near-perfect tissue match. * No immunosupressant drugs need to be taken with dialysis. Recipients of transplanted kidneys need to take them for life to reduce risk of rejection, yet this leaves the body susceptible to contracting infections. * No need to go through risks of complicated and hugely invasive surgical procedure, which itself can only be undertaken by those patients who are in the best shape. Disadvantages of dialysis: * Less freedom of movement - patients are hooked up to the machine three or four times a week, for up to 20 hours per week. * Diet restrictions - patients must stick to rigorous dietary regulations.