Careful control of diseases like diabetes and high blood pressure can significantly help prevent kidney disease or keep it from getting worse. Kidney stones and urinary tract infections can usually be treated successfully. Sometimes, chronic kidney disease may progress to kidney failure, requiring dialysis or kidney transplantation. Treating high blood pressure with special medications called angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors often helps to slow the progression of chronic kidney disease. A great deal of research is being done to find more effective treatment for all conditions that can cause chronic kidney disease.
Kidney failure may be treated with hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis or kidney transplant. Treatment with hemodialysis (the artificial kidney) may be performed at a dialysis unit or at home. Hemodialysis treatments are usually performed three times a week. Peritoneal dialysis is generally done daily at home.
Kidney transplant from a compatible match is performed in case of total kidney failure.