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Health Information and Tools >  Kidney Failure: When Should I Start Dialysis?

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Kidney Failure: When Should I Start Dialysis?

You may want to have a say in this decision, or you may simply want to follow your doctor's recommendation. Either way, this information will help you understand what your choices are so that you can talk to your doctor about them.

Kidney Failure: When Should I Start Dialysis?

Here's a record of your answers. You can use it to talk with your doctor or loved ones about your decision.

Get the facts

Your options

  • Start kidney dialysis before you have symptoms of kidney failure or before your lab results show very poor kidney function.
  • Start dialysis after you have symptoms or after your lab results get worse.

Some people may decide not to treat their kidney failure with dialysis. This information is for people who have decided to have either hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis but who aren't certain when they should start.

Key points to remember

  • At a certain point in chronic kidney disease, you may need to have dialysis or a kidney transplant to live. This stage is called kidney failure. You reach it if you have constant fluid buildup and symptoms of too much urea and other wastes in your blood. You also have it if a measure of your kidney function (estimated glomerular filtration rate, or eGFR) falls too low.
  • If you don't have symptoms yet, you may choose to start dialysis or wait until your lab results show very poor kidney function or you start to have symptoms.
  • You might decide to wait if you may be able to have a kidney transplant.
  • Dialysis is time-consuming and can have serious side effects, such as low blood pressure, muscle cramps, and infection.
  • Experts aren't sure that starting dialysis before you have symptoms helps you live longer than if you wait until your kidneys are working very poorly. How well you do on dialysis depends a lot on your age and on other health problems you may have.
  • Thinking about starting dialysis may feel unsettling or even scary. If you decide to have it, dialysis will become a big part of your life. But you can take good care of yourself with a healthy diet and not smoking to help you get the most benefit from dialysis.

FAQs

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Current as of: October 11, 2023

Author: Ignite Healthwise, LLC Staff

Clinical Review Board
All Healthwise education is reviewed by a team that includes physicians, nurses, advanced practitioners, registered dieticians, and other healthcare professionals.

This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Ignite Healthwise, LLC, disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. Learn how we develop our content.

Current as of: October 11, 2023

Author: Ignite Healthwise, LLC Staff

Clinical Review Board
All Healthwise education is reviewed by a team that includes physicians, nurses, advanced practitioners, registered dieticians, and other healthcare professionals.