Renal replacement therapy or dialysis is a life sustaining treatment that is offered when the kidneys are too damaged to continue to work properly. In this article, we will focus on standard or in center three times weekly hemodialysis, which is the most common type of dialysis performed in the United States. Dialysis options also include home hemodialysis, nocturnal hemodialysis, and peritoneal dialysis. The decision of what type of dialysis to pursue is a personal decision

Anemia can make you feel weak, tired, and short of breath. You may also have headaches and trouble sleeping. You may also experience a loss of appetite and a more rapid heart rate. Anemia (uh-NEE-me-eh) comes from the Greek work that means “without blood”. Anemia is common in people with chronic kidney disease (CKD) When kidneys are healthy, they make a hormone called erythropoietin, or EPO. This hormone helps the bone marrow to produce the amount of red blood cells (RBC)