Just how vital a role does kidney function play in your overall health? Well, for one thing, your kidneys filter waste and excess fluids from your blood. They also help your body maintain a healthy balance of water, salts, and minerals in your blood, which enables your nerves, muscles, and other tissues to work normally. In addition, your kidneys produce certain hormones that help regulate your blood pressure, create red blood cells, and help keep your bones strong and healthy.
As such, a problem with one or both of your kidneys can be a serious health issue. However, by understanding the role of a kidney doctor, formally known as a nephrologist, you can better maintain not only your kidney health but also your general wellbeing.
A Specialist in the Care of Your Kidneys
A nephrologist is a doctor who has advanced training in the diagnosis and treatment of kidney conditions and kidney failure. They are also experts on how kidney conditions affect other parts of your body, such as in the case of autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular disease, and hypertension (high blood pressure).
Among the most common conditions that a nephrologist treats are the following:
- Chronic kidney disease (CKD)
- Acute renal (kidney) failure
- Cystic kidney disease
- Diabetic kidney diseases
- End-stage renal disease (ESRD)
- Glomerulonephritis (GN) (inflammation and damage to the filtering parts of the kidney)
- Hemolytic uremic syndrome (the destruction of red blood cells, which can cause kidney failure)
- Hyponatremia (low levels of sodium in your blood) and other electrolyte disorders
- Kidney infections
- Kidney stones
- Nephrotic syndrome (symptoms that indicate your kidneys aren’t working properly)
- Polycystic kidney disease (PKD) (clusters of cysts in your kidneys)
- Urinary tract infections (UTIs)
In addition to identifying and treating these conditions, a nephrologist can advise you on how to other conditions, such as diabetes and high blood pressure, can be treated, as well as inform you of your kidney transplant and dialysis options if it is determined that you are at the point of end stage renal disease.
Best Nephrologist Near You in Syracuse, New York
At the Department of Medicine at SUNY: Upstate Medical University, we have one of the most extensive and comprehensive nephrology units in the country, including a renal clinic, a dialysis clinic, a transplant clinic, and a kidney stone clinic, serving patients from more than two dozen counties in upstate New York.
Our board-certified and fellowship trained nephrologists are experts in diseases affecting the kidneys and – in addition to providing care to adult patients with chronic renal failure and complex kidney stone problems – they can provide nutrition dietary advice and guidelines to promote healthier renal function.
More than 1,500 acute dialysis treatments are performed at University Hospital in Syracuse alone each year and nearly 250 chronic end-stage renal disease patients are cared for at the nearby University Dialysis Center and our satellite units in Auburn and Oswego.
To learn more about our nephrology services, contact the Department of Medicine at SUNY: Upstate Medical University at DeptMedicine@upstate.edu. Or to schedule an appointment, please call your nephrology provider directly. Note: All patients should be referred by their physician.
