Dialysis

When your kidneys are healthy, they clean your blood. They also make hormones that keep your bones strong and your blood healthy. When your kidneys fail, you need treatment to replace the work your kidneys used to do. Unless you have a kidney transplant, you will need a treatment called dialysis.

What is Dialysis?

Dialysis is a treatment method that replicates the function of the kidneys when they are failing. In healthy individuals, the kidneys work to filter and remove waste products, excess fluid, salts and toxins from the blood.

Renal Replacement Therapy

Dialysis Types

Benefits and Disadvantages of Dialysis

Indications for Dialysis

Latest Dialysis News and Research

Study shows record surge in reduced kidney function worldwide

Record numbers of men and women globally are now estimated to have reduced kidney function, a new study shows. Figures rose from 378 million people with the disease in 1990 to 788 million in 2023 as the world population grew and aged, making it for the first time a top 10 cause of death worldwide.

8 Nov 2025

New study reveals CKD affects nearly 800 million adults worldwide

The number of adults living with chronic kidney disease (CKD) has more than doubled since 1990, reaching nearly 800 million worldwide, according to new research published in The Lancet. The findings come from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2023 study, which tracked CKD trends among adults age 20 years and older across 204 countries and territories from 1990 through 2023.

7 Nov 2025

Pediatric patients with primary glomerular diseases may experience faster kidney function decline

New research reveals that contrary toconventional belief, primary glomerular diseases are not necessarily benign for children and young adults. In fact, some subsets of children and young adults may experience faster kidney function decline than older patients.

7 Nov 2025

Mismatch in kidney tests may reveal hidden health risks

A mismatch between two common tests for kidney function may indicate a higher risk for kidney failure, heart disease, and death, a new study shows.

7 Nov 2025

Weaning hospitalized patients from dialysis may restore kidney function

Weaning patients with acute kidney injury (AKI) from dialysis while they are still hospitalized may save them from remaining on the treatment for the rest of their lives, according to a new study led by UC San Francisco.

7 Nov 2025

Finerenone offers hope for kidney protection in patients with type 1 diabetes

The drug finerenone has a positive effect on patients with type 1 diabetes and chronic kidney disease.

6 Nov 2025

NYU Langone Health begins first clinical trial of gene-edited pig kidney transplants

The first surgery in a clinical trial testing the safety and efficacy of gene-edited pig kidney transplants in patients with end-stage renal disease was recently performed at NYU Langone Health.

5 Nov 2025

Novel molecule found to be a key player in kidney injury and repair

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a progressive condition in which the kidneys gradually lose their ability to filter waste from the blood.

23 Oct 2025

Fermented soy boosts memory in older adults

Findings from a study reveal that fermented soy may boost memory function in older adults, especially postmenopausal women, offering dietary cognitive support.

9 Oct 2025

Identifying Alport syndrome in children through universal age-3 urine screening

The most common first diagnosis of Alport syndrome in Japan is during the universal age-3 urine screening.

7 Oct 2025

Inactive blood marker SDMA emerges as potential predictor of cardiovascular risk in CKD

When University of Texas at Arlington researcher Paul J. Fadel and his colleagues launched a study on vascular health in people with chronic kidney disease, they expected to better understand a long-standing belief.

3 Oct 2025

Inflammation at the heart’s core: What clinicians and families can do now

Chronic low-grade inflammation is a key driver of cardiovascular disease, even when cholesterol is controlled. The ACC’s 2025 Scientific Statement highlights hsCRP as a routine risk marker and outlines lifestyle and pharmacologic anti-inflammatory strategies for prevention and treatment.

30 Sep 2025

Stem cell treatment could help millions of people with end-stage kidney disease

More than 4 million people worldwide have end-stage kidney disease that requires hemodialysis, a treatment in which a machine filters waste from the blood.

24 Sep 2025

New dialysis filter shows promise for improving survival and health in kidney failure patients

Researchers at London Health Sciences Centre Research Institute (LHSCRI) and Western University's Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry have launched a clinical trial that is evaluating a new type of dialysis filter called Elisio HX that may significantly improve outcomes for people living with kidney failure across Canada.

22 Sep 2025

Tai chi improves memory and sleep in older adults with type 2 diabetes

A 12-week randomized trial found that remotely delivered Tai Chi significantly enhanced cognitive performance and sleep quality in older adults with Type 2 Diabetes. These gains surpassed those from supervised fitness walking or usual care, without increasing adverse events.

17 Sep 2025

Using AI models to improve prediction of CKD's progression to end-stage renal disease

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a complex condition marked by a gradual decline in kidney function, which can ultimately progress to end-stage renal disease (ESRD).

9 Sep 2025

Trump administration investigates Medicaid spending on immigrants in blue states

The Trump administration is taking its immigration crackdown to the health care safety net, launching Medicaid spending probes in at least six Democratic-led states that provide comprehensive health coverage to poor and disabled immigrants living in the U.S. without permanent legal status.

5 Sep 2025

Lubiprostone shows promise in slowing kidney disease progression

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major health issue worldwide. Many patients end up requiring regular dialysis to avoid kidney failure and stay alive.

1 Sep 2025

Constipation drug found to slow renal function decline in CKD patients

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major health issue worldwide. Many patients end up requiring regular dialysis to avoid kidney failure and stay alive.

29 Aug 2025

Small peptide produced by gut bacteria identified as key factor in kidney fibrosis

A molecule made by bacteria in the gut can hitch a ride to the kidneys, where it sets off a chain reaction of inflammation, scarring and fibrosis - a serious complication of diabetes and a leading cause of kidney failure - according to a new study from researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Mie University in Japan.

25 Aug 2025