Can dialysis reduce creatinine which in turn increase GFR.

[htpi1543]

Can dialysis reduce creatinine level in the blood? Please reply

Thanks

[cs65 NKF Ambassador]

When I have my dialysis monthly bloodwork they test my BUN and creatinine before and after my treatment and it always falls back to a normal range, however this is a temporary effect of dialysis. The dialysis filter mimics the work of the real kidneys, but since it is only done for 3-4 hours 3 days a week it cannot take the place of healthy kidneys doing this 24 hours a day. Also, the dialysis filter also removes some protein from the blood and cannot filter out phosphorus, thus the need for eating protein rich foods and phosphorus binders. The monthly bloodwork also tests a multitude of other levels of nutrients in the blood. You can keep track of this by getting a patient portal from your doctor or hospital system. The only real way to get a permanent increase in the gfr is to get a kidney transplant.

[Kbristow]

Chronic kidney disease really cannot be cured or treated. How quickly your function decreases depends on different factors, including the cause of your disease (e.g., diabetes, high blood pressure) and how well that is being controlled. But your doctor is the best person to talk to about that. For me when I had CKD and my GFR was around 25 or so, my GFR would from time to time go up a point or two but it always would go back down. In general, my kidneys were not getting better and my nephrologist said a snapshot at any given moment is not an indication that your kidney function is improving. By the time I was in stage 4, my disease was not reversible, and my kidney function continued to trend downward. But keep yourself as healthy as possible. You want to decrease the progression of the disease. Dialysis does some of the work that real kidneys do. However, it will not always remove excess phosphorous, potassium and other toxins and excess fluid as well as healthy kidneys. At one point, despite a very careful low-phosphorous diet, dialysis just wasn't removing enough phosphorous for me, and I had to take even more phosphate binders.

By the way, I was doing peritoneal dialysis which is a gentler approach. For some it is a good option depending on your lifestyle and what works for you. But because it is an ongoing daily treatment, as opposed to in center hemodialysis 2-3 times a week, I found I didn't have huge drops in blood pressure or energy level as many do after hemodialysis.

Good luck. Dialysis does a lot to sustain you, but transplant is most often still the best if that's an option for you.