What Is Dialysis?
Dialysis (dye-AL-ih-sis) is a medical treatment that can take over the job of cleaning
the blood when the kidneys
can't.
Why Do People Need Dialysis?
The kidneys are fist-sized organs shaped like kidney beans. Their main job is to
clean the blood. They take out
extra water and waste (things the body doesn't need). These leave the body as pee
(urine).
If the kidneys don't work as they should, waste quickly builds up in the body and
makes a person sick. When the kidneys stop removing enough waste and extra water from
the blood, the person has kidney failure. Then, the person needs
dialysis to clean the blood because the kidneys can't.
Does Dialysis Cure Kidney Failure?
Dialysis does the work of the kidneys to clean the blood, but it doesn't fix
or cure kidney failure.
Some kids with sudden or acute kidney failure need dialysis for a short time until
the kidneys get better. But if chronic
kidney disease turns into kidney failure, the child's kidneys will not get better.
These kids need dialysis for life, unless they get a kidney
transplant.
What Are the Types of Dialysis?
There are two types of dialysis:
- Hemodialysis
(hee-moh-dye-AL-ih-sis): An artificial filter cleans the blood outside of the body.
It's usually done in a special clinic called a dialysis center.
- Peritoneal
dialysis (pair-eh-tih-NEEL dye-AL-ih-sis): This uses the lining of the
belly as a filter. Often, it can be done at home.
Both types of dialysis clean the blood, but in different ways. People who need
dialysis work with their care team to decide on the best method.
What Else Should I Know?
Kids and teens getting dialysis still go to school, take part in most sports and
activities, go to prom, and hang out with friends as they usually would. Dialysis
doesn't have to slow them down.
Date reviewed: January 2020