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End-stage renal disease   

Overview | Symptoms | Treatment | Prevention

Alternative names:

Renal failure - end stage; Kidney failure - end stage; ESRD

Definition:

A complete or near complete failure of the kidneys to function to excrete wastes, concentrate urine, and regulate electrolytes.

Causes and Risks

End-stage renal disease (ESRD) occurs when the kidneys are no longer able to function at a level that is necessary for day to day life. It usually occurs as chronic renal failure progresses to the point where kidney function is less than 10% of baseline. At this point, the kidney function is so low that without dialysis or kidney transplantation, complications are multiple and severe, and death will occur from accumulation of fluids and waste products in the body.

In the United States, nearly 300,000 people are on chronic dialysis and more than 20,000 have a functioning transplanted kidney. The most common cause of ESRD in the US is diabetes mellitus. ESRD almost always follows chronic kidney failure, which may exist for 10 to 20 years or more before progression to ESRD.

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