What Are the Benefits of Hemodialysis?

If you’ve been diagnosed with kidney disease or kidney failure, your doctor might recommend hemodialysis for treatment. When your kidneys no longer function properly, hemodialysis, also simply known as dialysis, helps by clearing waste and excess fluids from your blood. Dialysis is the most common treatment for kidney failure and has many benefits that can assist people to live longer and healthier lives.

What Is Hemodialysis and How Does It Work?

If you and your doctor decide that hemodialysis is right for you, you’ll need to start preparing for treatment at least several weeks before your first procedure. The most important part of the preparation process involves a procedure to create a vascular access point on your body. This allows for blood to be safely removed and returned to your circulation as part of the dialysis process. Most access points are created on an arm, as they provide the easiest and safest points of entry. The access point needs time to heal before you begin treatment.

​During the dialysis procedure, two tubes are connected to the patient via the vascular access point. The blood travels through one tube and is filtered through the dialyzer where excess waste and fluids are removed before returning to the patient’s body via the other tube. The process effectively replicates the functions of healthy kidneys and is beneficial for most patients with renal diseases.
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Most hemodialysis treatments are performed at either hospitals or dialysis clinics, but home dialysis is also an option. You and your doctor will develop a treatment plan that includes which location is best for your needs.

Dialysis treatments are needed three times a week. Each treatment usually lasts between 3-5 hours. Patients receiving home hemodialysis may choose to do treatments 4-7 days a week but with shorter sessions.

In between treatments, it’s important to follow a hemodialysis diet to help you get the most benefits from dialysis. A hemodialysis diet should be rich in protein, calcium, and carbohydrates while limiting the intake of phosphorus, potassium, sodium, and fluids.

Advantages of Hemodialysis

Patients receiving dialysis usually notice health benefits very quickly after starting treatment. Some of the main benefits of hemodialysis include:

• Improved sleeping patterns and increased energy levels: Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) often have difficulty falling and staying asleep. Dialysis can help improve sleep patterns and can even be performed while sleeping at home.
  
• Reduces nausea and increases appetite: The buildup of toxins and waste in the blood that is caused by CKD often causes patients to experience nausea and a loss of appetite. Hemodialysis improves kidney function and lessens the frequency of these symptoms.
  
• Lowers high blood pressure levels: High blood pressure is one of the leading causes of kidney failure. Hemodialysis can help stabilize blood pressure to a normal range. 
  
• Reduces cramping and other body aches: Impaired kidney function can lead to electrolyte imbalances which can cause cramps and aches. Dialysis helps balance electrolytes and reduces cramping.
  
• Helps with dry and itchy skin: Dry and itchy skin can be caused by an imbalance of minerals and nutrients in the blood. Hemodialysis removes waste from the blood and helps restore healthy levels of minerals and nutrients.
  
• Increases the production of red blood cells in your body: Healthy kidneys help your body produce red blood cells but CKD can significantly lower your red blood cell levels. Dialysis can help restore red blood cell counts to normal levels.

Potential Risks and Disadvantages of Hemodialysis

Although hemodialysis has many benefits, like any medical treatment, it also has potential risks that might not make it the best treatment option for everyone. Some potential risks and disadvantages of hemodialysis include:

• Drops in blood pressure: As mentioned, dialysis can help patients reduce high blood pressure levels. However, there is a risk of blood pressure dropping too low during treatment. If you receive treatment at a hospital or dialysis center, the care team there will closely monitor your blood pressure during treatment and make any adjustments as needed to stabilize your levels.
  
• Feeling lightheaded, faint, or nauseous during treatment: Although it’s uncommon, patients who feel faint, lightheaded, or nauseous after receiving shots or having blood drawn may experience similar symptoms during dialysis. 
  
• Lifestyle changes: In addition to following a hemodialysis diet, other lifestyle changes will likely be necessary. If you’re doing home hemodialysis, it can be a burden to travel to a hospital or dialysis center three days a week for treatment. Combined with the fact that treatments usually last around four hours, this may necessitate reorganizing your schedule around dialysis treatments.
  
• Limiting travel plans: Because dialysis is necessary at least three times a week, this can affect travel plans. Fortunately, dialysis centers are available all throughout the United States and your regular center can help arrange appointments at different centers if you’re traveling. However, the availability of dialysis centers in other countries can be limited and impact any plans for international travel.
  

Dialysis Treatments with Milwaukee Nephrologists

Although there are some disadvantages, you don't have to stop living a normal life because of hemodialysis treatments. The staff at Milwaukee Nephrologists work to provide accessible dialysis treatments to prioritize patients’ quality of life above all else. If you’re living with kidney disease and are wondering if dialysis is right for you, contact Milwaukee Nephrologists today for a consultation.