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If you reside in Salt Lake City and are experiencing trouble with your kidneys, your primary care physician will send you to see a nephrologist – a kidney doctor. He or she will examine them closely, run several tests, including blood work and talk to you about your concerns. One issue that may crop up is potential kidney failure.

What Is Kidney Failure?

The importance of the kidneys to your well-being cannot be overstressed. They filter the blood, disposing of waste products and control the production of red blood cells in your body. The kidneys also regulate your blood pressure. Kidney failure – the inability of the kidney to perform these tasks, results in certain physical manifestations. Your body swells up; you may retain fluid and, overall, you lack energy. Kidney failure can also result in serious health issues, although, initially, you may not experience any obvious ill effects.

Causal Factors

Your kidney doctor will explain potential causes of kidney failure. The type you have will influence the kind of treatment possible. The two most common causes of End-stage renal diseases (ESRD) are:

1. Diabetes2. High Blood Pressure

If you do not suffer from either, kidney failure may be the result of some form of genetic or autoimmune diseases, Nephrotic syndrome or problems in the urinary tract. Once the diagnosis is sure and causal factors investigated, treatment may follow.

Your Kidney Doctor and Kidney Failure

Your doctor in Salt Lake City may be able to treat kidney failure by addressing the underlying cause. In some instances, such as heart attack, drug abuse, and urinary tract problems, the problem may disappear following treatment of the cause. However, in many cases, the only approach is such drastic measures as dialysis or a transplant. Only by consulting with a kidney doctor will you know how to best treat the health problem.