Dialysis At Home Means New Hope For Victims Of 'Silent Epidemic'

Main Category: Urology / Nephrology
Also Included In: Caregivers / Homecare;  Medical Devices / Diagnostics
Article Date: 17 Mar 2006 - 2:00 PDT

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Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a silent and deadly epidemic in America.
More than 20 million Americans, or one in nine adults, have CKD. 400,000 of them have irreversible kidney failure.

For the majority of patients with kidney failure, dialysis is the only life-sustaining option, as transplants are limited due to a shortage of organ donations. But new technologies and treatments now offer more options, and more hope, for dialysis patients than ever before.

Dialysis treatment is available at home. In fact, many patients find it effective to conduct their treatment while they sleep. New, user-friendly and more portable dialysis machines are giving patients a "new lease on life," empowering them to live freer, more flexible lives by conducting their dialysis treatments at home. While the concept of home dialysis isn't new, a resurgence of home treatments is occurring thanks to advances in technology that are making it a much more feasible option.

Many leading kidney doctors are becoming strong advocates for home dialysis - patient reports and supporting data show that home treatment drastically improves patients' quality of life by helping them feel better both physically and emotionally. "Accumulating data shows that patients who perform dialysis at home experience improved quality of life, sense of well-being and better clinical results, such as reduced fatigue, need for medications and frequency of hospitalization," said Dr. Robert Provenzano, President of the Renal Physicians Association and Chief Strategy Officer for DaVita Inc., one of the nation's leading dialysis providers and ranked by Fortune magazine as one of the ten most admired companies in California for 2006. (Statistical information available upon request.)

March is National Kidney Month

DaVita At Home, a division of DaVita Inc., is leading the way in providing patients with information and support to help them make informed choices and manage their own dialysis treatments from home safely and effectively. We can put you in touch with patients who will share personal stories about how their lives have been transformed by home dialysis. We can also arrange interviews with Dr. Provenzano and other leading nephrologists to obtain more information about the concept of home dialysis, including how patients are trained for and supported through their individual treatment journeys.

More information about kidney care, CKD and available treatment options can also be found online at http://www.davitaathome.com.