“font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px;”>Uncontrolled high blood pressure and diabetes, which affect African Americans disproportionately, can cause the kidneys to fail.
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Kidney failure occurs after the kidneys gradually lose their ability to filter toxins and wastes from the blood and fluids, maintain a balance of salt and minerals in the body, or regulate blood pressure
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Your kidney’s inability to work is serious, a potentially fatal health condition.
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>When the kidneys stop functioning properly or become damaged, waste products and fluid can build up in the body, causing hands and feet to swell, shortness of breath, problems with urination.
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>If left untreated, diseased kidneys may eventually stop functioning completely.
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Early onset kidney disease typically has no symptoms when it is most treatable and controlled.
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Kidney damage caused by diabetes can be slowed with medical care, but not reversed. Chronic kidney disease is permanent damage to the kidney by disease or injury.
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Short of a life-saving kidney transplant, the main recourse is kidney dialysis, when a machine is used to filter the blood, usually three times a week for a few hours each session.
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Dialysis centers are springing up all over the country to meet the need of persons living with kidney failure needing hemodialysis, the most common method for treating permanent kidney failure.
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>It works by allowing your blood to flow out of your arm, a few ounces at a time, through a special filter that removes wastes and extra fluids. The clean blood is then returned to your body through that arm. Removing the harmful wastes and extra salt and fluids helps control your blood pressure and keep the proper balance of chemicals like potassium and sodium in your body.
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Some kidney failure patients can do in-home dialysis through a tube in their stomachs, known as peritoneal dialysis.
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>By the year 2030, the government estimates more than two million people will be treated in the U.S. for kidney failure, also known as end stage renal disease.
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“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Source: NIDDKÂ