Question

At what stage of kidney disease is dialysis needed?

Answer 1

Kidney disease:

1. Kidneys are a pair of bean-shaped organs located on either side of the mid-dorsal line. They play an important role in blood filtration.
2. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) arises when kidneys are permanently damaged and cannot filter the blood.
3. This leads to the accumulation of wastes in the blood and tissues.
4. There are five stages of CKD. In the early stages (stages 1-3), there is mild to moderate kidney damage.

Dialysis:

1. A dialysis machine removes excess fluid and waste products from the blood. This process is called hemodialysis.
2. Dialysis is needed at stage 5 of kidney disease.
3. This stage is characterized by severe kidney damage and the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is less than 15 ml/min.