What is Renal Medicine?
Renal medicine, or nephrology, is the branch of medicine that involves the diagnosis and management of people with diseases and conditions of the kidneys.
Your kidneys are two bean-shaped organs, found at the back of your abdominal cavity, that filter out wastes and excess fluid from your blood and excrete them as urine.
Renal medicine includes the urgent care of acutely ill patients as well as those with chronic illness who require long term care. A doctor who specialises in disorders of the kidneys is called a nephrologist. Conditions seen by a nephrologist may include:
• Acute renal failure – the sudden loss of kidney function
• Chronic, or long term, renal failure – gradual worsening of kidney function
• Haematuria – blood loss in the urine
• Proteinuria – protein loss in the urine
• Kidney stones
• Chronic or frequent urinary tract infections
• Hypertension – that has not responded to antihypertensive therapy.
Many kidney disorders may be treated with medications but if kidney function starts to fail and the condition becomes severe, dialysis (using a machine to filter the blood) and later, kidney transplantation, may be required.
Public Service
Northland DHB Renal
Description
Common Conditions
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Assistance with Travel Costs
Click here to download a travel assistance brochure.
This outlines what help you can get to cover your travel costs that relate to your renal diease. More
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Advanced Care Planning
Advanced care planning is all about keeping you in control of your own healthcare even if you become unable to speak for yourself.… More
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Cyclosporin Patient Information
Click here to view a patient pamphlet on cyclosporin More
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Etidronate Instructions
INSTRUCTIONS FOR TAKING ETIDRONATE (DIDRONEL) TABLETS
Take 2 tablets each morning for 2 weeks at a time.… More -
Kidney Failure
This is when a patient’s kidneys are unable to remove wastes and excess fluid from the blood.… More
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Kidney Stones
This term refers to stones in the urinary system. They form in the kidneys but can be found anywhere in the urinary system.… More
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Parathyroidectomy - Patient Information
Click here to download a patient booklet More
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Polycystic Renal Disease - A Family Guide
Click here to download information for families who have a member with polycystic renal disease. More
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Polycystic Renal Disease - A Patient Guide
Click here to download information for patients diagnosed with polycystic renal disease. More
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Renal Biopsy - Patient Information
Click here to download a patient booklet about having a renal biopsy More
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Reducing Your Salt Intake.
Click here to view a document explaining why salt is a problem and how you can eat less.… More
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Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs)
A UTI is caused by an infection in the urinary tract.… More
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Websites That Contain Quality Information
Below are links to some websites that the local renal specialists recommend:… More
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Family Meeting Brochure
Click here to download a brochure describing the family meetings we run in the Renal Service. More
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Your Rights and Responsibilities within the Renal Service
As a team we are all very motivated to provide you with the best healthcare we can.… More
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Potassium: How to Reduce your Blood Level
Click here to get advice on what foods to eat to help reduce your blood potassium level. More
Other
Kidney Health New Zealand has a website that contains information about kidney disease, support groups and patient information including helpful advice on chronic kidney disease and nutrition.
Recent Pages
- Northland DHB Renal
Whangarei Hospital, Bay of Islands Hospital, Kaitaia Hospital