Nephrology (renal medicine) is the study and treatment of diseases affecting the kidney. This is a specialist area of general medicine, only found at larger hospitals.
Patients are referred to the outpatients department for any problem that has slowly caused kidney damage, such as diabetes, autoimmune disease or narrowing of the arteries that supply the kidney. The cause of the damage and degree of damage is assessed and patients are monitored for progression of the disease.
When the kidney fails to remove waste products from the body, dialysis may be needed. This is usually performed on a specialised ward run by the nephrologist. The ward is staffed by specialist nurses. Patients often come in two or three times a week as day-patients for dialysis. If patients are too ill to do this then they are kept in as inpatients. In some cases dialysis is performed at home.
Sometimes patients suddenly develop kidney failure. They are usually admitted to their local hospital and then referred on for dialysis if it is needed.
Nephrologists are also involved in transplantation of kidneys, and the follow-up of patients after their transplant. The actual operations are done by transplant surgeons.
The nearest clinic for this service is at North Devon District Hospital.
