FirstHealth nephrologists provide expert care for people with kidney failure, also called end-stage renal disease. Nephrologists also treat other, less common kidney disorders, as well as disorders of the blood chemistry and chronic, severe high blood pressure (hypertension).

The primary causes of kidney failure are chronic hypertension and diabetes. Prolonged use of headache powders, which are combination analgesics, also can contribute to kidney failure. People with kidney disease often have no symptoms until their kidneys have nearly stopped functioning. Therefore, nephrologists recommend that every adult should have a periodic urinalysis or blood test that includes a test for kidney function. Early detection is important, because the progress of kidney disease can often be delayed by modifying the patient’s diet and by controlling the likely cause of the disease, such as high blood pressure.

Patients with end-stage kidney failure may require regular dialysis treatments —usually three times a week— to remove excess fluids and impurities from their systems. Hemodialysis, a process that filters and cleans the blood as it flows through a machine, is used to treat some patients with severe kidney failure. Outpatient hemodialysis clinics are located in Pinehurst, Raeford and Troy, and are staffed by expert nurses and technicians under the direction of FirstHealth nephrologists.

Another procedure used as a substitute for kidney function is peritoneal dialysis, which removes impurities from the blood by way of a fluid that is pumped into the abdominal cavity and then drained out. Peritoneal dialysis can be done at home, but is suitable for only a small percentage of patients with kidney failure. FirstHealth nephrologists oversee peritoneal dialysis programs based in Pinehurst and Raeford. 

About one-quarter of people with end-stage renal disease who are being cared for by FirstHealth nephrologists are waiting for kidney transplants. When a matching kidney is available for a patient locally, the transplant surgery is usually performed at one of North Carolina’s university medical centers.