Many patients will continue to produce urine even after starting dialysis. Making urine doesn’t necessarily mean you don’t need dialysis, however. The decision to initiate and maintain dialysis is based on multiple factors includinglab testsand the patient’s symptoms and not necessarily on the volume of urine one makes.
This article discusses urine production after starting dialysis, what it means, and how it is related to renal health.
AJ PHOTO / Getty Images
Urine Production After Starting Dialysis
Unless your kidneys have completely shut down and theglomerular filtration rate(GFR) has gone down to absolute zero, you will probably still make urine after you start dialysis. This is known asresidual renal function.In simple terms, it means you still have some kidney function, though it could be a very small fraction of what normal kidney function is.
Factors that determinewhether you might preserve residual renal function could include:
The Role of Dialysis in Kidney Treatment
It’s Important to Preserve Residual Renal Function
As insignificant as it might seem, residual renal function is a big deal, and maintaining it is important.
These are some reasons why maintaining even a little kidney function after someone gets started on dialysis could make a big difference:
What Is the Life Expectancy With Chronic Kidney Disease?
How to Preserve Residual Renal Function for Longer
This is an active area of research in nephrology. So far, researchers know that certain interventions can help preserve residual renal function better and longer. This might translate into a longer lifespan and a better quality of life for dialysis patients. Some of these interventions are:
How to Lower Your Systolic Blood Pressure
Summary
If you continue to produce urine after starting dialysis, it’s an indication of residual renal function. This means your kidneys are still working to some extent.
Consider yourself lucky if you still continue to make some urine after starting dialysis. Even though it might seem insignificant, having even a little bit of urine output could make a big difference to your life expectancy as well as quality of life.
3 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Liu X, Dai C.Advances in understanding and management of residual renal function in patients with chronic kidney disease.Kidney Dis. 2016;2(4):187-96. doi:10.1159/000449029Mathew AT, Fishbane S, Obi Y, Kalantar-Zadeh K.Preservation of residual kidney function in hemodialysis patients: reviving an old concept.Kidney Int.2016;90(2):262-71. doi:10.1016/j.kint.2016.02.037Davenport A.Will incremental hemodialysis preserve residual function and improve patient survival?Semin Dial.2015;28(1):16-9. doi:10.1111/sdi.12320
3 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Liu X, Dai C.Advances in understanding and management of residual renal function in patients with chronic kidney disease.Kidney Dis. 2016;2(4):187-96. doi:10.1159/000449029Mathew AT, Fishbane S, Obi Y, Kalantar-Zadeh K.Preservation of residual kidney function in hemodialysis patients: reviving an old concept.Kidney Int.2016;90(2):262-71. doi:10.1016/j.kint.2016.02.037Davenport A.Will incremental hemodialysis preserve residual function and improve patient survival?Semin Dial.2015;28(1):16-9. doi:10.1111/sdi.12320
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Liu X, Dai C.Advances in understanding and management of residual renal function in patients with chronic kidney disease.Kidney Dis. 2016;2(4):187-96. doi:10.1159/000449029Mathew AT, Fishbane S, Obi Y, Kalantar-Zadeh K.Preservation of residual kidney function in hemodialysis patients: reviving an old concept.Kidney Int.2016;90(2):262-71. doi:10.1016/j.kint.2016.02.037Davenport A.Will incremental hemodialysis preserve residual function and improve patient survival?Semin Dial.2015;28(1):16-9. doi:10.1111/sdi.12320
Liu X, Dai C.Advances in understanding and management of residual renal function in patients with chronic kidney disease.Kidney Dis. 2016;2(4):187-96. doi:10.1159/000449029
Mathew AT, Fishbane S, Obi Y, Kalantar-Zadeh K.Preservation of residual kidney function in hemodialysis patients: reviving an old concept.Kidney Int.2016;90(2):262-71. doi:10.1016/j.kint.2016.02.037
Davenport A.Will incremental hemodialysis preserve residual function and improve patient survival?Semin Dial.2015;28(1):16-9. doi:10.1111/sdi.12320
Meet Our Medical Expert Board
Share Feedback
Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
What is your feedback?
