5 Complications of Dialysis

Today we will discuss about some of the complications of dialysis. Many of us have relatives or friends who require dialysis on a routine basis. Dialysis as you know is a life-saving technique for people with non-functional kidneys. It prolongs the life-span for those with kidney failure. However, life expectancy for them is still lower than the general population.


Types of Dialysis
Dialysis can be done in two ways. It could be hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis.

Hemodialysis involves removing blood by accessing through a vein. An external kidney machine then cleans the blood of toxins and excess fluids. The clean blood then again returns to the body.



Peritoneal dialysis on the other hand is a different method which uses the body’s own organ to perform the dialysis. It uses the lining of your abdomen (peritoneum) to filter the blood within the body. A special type of fluid is inserted into the abdomen to do the cleaning. A catheter is used to remove the toxins and excess fluids out of the body.



Both hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis have their advantages and disadvantages. Your doctor is the best person to decide which method is suitable for your condition.



Most of the people who require hemodialysis have other pre-existing health problems. Also the imbalance of fluids and electrolytes in the body creates problems. It may impact the blood pressure and heart functions.