Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is a diagnosis given to a person who has a disease or disorder that affects the kidneys. It is divided into five stages and we provide care for patients with all stages of kidney disease.

The kidneys are a two bean-shaped organs located just behind the stomach. They filter various toxins and extra salt and water from the body. They also make hormones that keep your bones strong and blood healthy.

End Stage Renal Disease occurs when the kidneys lose function to the point where they cannot keep you healthy and feeling well on their own. 

People with ESRD need dialysis or a kidney transplant. We offer dialysis services in St Pete and greater Pinellas county.

Dialysis is a treatment to filter wastes and water from your blood, allowing people with kidney failure to feel better and continue doing the things they enjoy. We are affiliated with many area dialysis centers.

Dialysis is typically needed when approximately 90 percent or more of kidney function is lost. Kidney function can be lost rapidly (acute kidney injury) or over months or years (chronic kidney disease). Early in the course of kidney disease, other treatments are used to help preserve kidney function and delay the need for replacement therapy.

Acute kidney injury (or acute renal failure) refers to kidney damage that happens suddenly. This can occur in the hospital or in the outpatient setting.

Acute Kidney Injury can be caused by dehydration, medications, congestive heart failure, muscle breakdown due to aggressive exercise, radiology procedures that use intravenous contrast, or other illnesses.

Symptoms for acute kidney injury can range from none to symptoms of total kidney failure depending on the severity of the injury and the cause.

Nephrotic syndrome is a kidney disorder that causes your body to pass too much protein in your urine.

Nephrotic syndrome occurs as a result of damage to the filtering units of the kidneys called glomeruli. In nephrotic syndrome, the glomeruli become excessively permeable, allowing large amounts of protein, primarily albumin, to leak into the urine. The condition causes swelling, particularly in your feet and ankles, and increases the risk of other health problems.

Treatment for nephrotic syndrome includes treating the condition that’s causing it and taking medications. Nephrotic syndrome can increase your risk of infections and blood clots.

Blood pressure refers to the pressure that blood applies to the inner walls of the arteries. Arteries carry blood from the heart to other organs and parts of the body. “Hypertension” is the medical term for high blood pressure. Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is the chronic state of elevated pressure in the arteries. A person with systolic and/or diastolic blood pressures consistently above the normal range (120/80 mm Hg) is said to have hypertension.

High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease, congestive heart failure, stroke, impaired vision, and kidney disease. Generally, the higher the blood pressure, the greater the risk. Untreated hypertension affects all organ systems including kidneys and can shorten one’s life expectancy by 10 to 20 years.

It is a genetically inherited kidney disease that causes multiple cysts to form in both kidneys.  Initial testing will involve radiological imaging, blood and urine tests.

A change (mutation) in your genes causes PKD. Genes are part of your cells that contain DNA and tell your cells what to do. DNA is found inside every cell in our body and carries information that gets passed from one generation to the next. DNA codes for different traits, such as eye color, body type and sex.

PKD is almost always passed down from a parent or from both parents to their child. There is no way to prevent either type of PKD.

If you have a blood relative with PKD, you are more likely to have PKD or carry the changed gene that causes it (this is called a “carrier”). A carrier means that you have one copy of the gene that causes PKD and could pass the gene to your biological children, but do not have PKD yourself. It is possible to be a carrier of the gene that causes autosomal recessive PKD. It is not possible to be a carrier of the gene that causes ADPKD–you only need to have one copy of this gene to have ADPKD.

Symptoms usually start when you are between 30 and 50 years old. Symptoms include:

• Pain in your back and sides
• Headaches
• Blood in your urine (pee)
• High blood pressure
• UTIs (urinary tract infections)
• Kidney stones

If you have any of these symptoms or a blood relative with PKD, talk with your doctor.