Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Is a Nephrologist?ConditionsNephrologist vs. UrologistWhen to See a Kidney DoctorDiagnosisTreatmentsYour First VisitHow to Find a Nephrologist
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
What Is a Nephrologist?
Conditions
Nephrologist vs. Urologist
When to See a Kidney Doctor
Diagnosis
Treatments
Your First Visit
How to Find a Nephrologist
Kidney doctors are callednephrologists. They treat conditions that affect the kidneys, like chronic kidney disease and kidney stones. They also may help people manage chronic conditions like diabetes that could affect their kidneys.
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Nephrologists are medical doctors who focus on the health of the kidneys. They can help diagnose kidney conditions and provide treatment and management.
The name “nephrologist” comes from the Greek word ”nephros," meaning kidneys.
Nephrologists can work in hospitals or clinics, or have their own (private) practice.
What Conditions Can a Kidney Doctor Treat?
Nephrologists help people with many different kinds of kidney problems, including:
Kidney vs. Renal DiseaseKidney disease is sometimes called renal disease. Renal is a medical word that refers to the kidneys.
Kidney vs. Renal Disease
Kidney disease is sometimes called renal disease. Renal is a medical word that refers to the kidneys.
Other medical problems can also affect the kidneys. Some of the common conditions that can lead to kidney problems or kidney failure include:
In addition to managing kidney problems, kidney doctors can help people manage the symptoms of kidney diseases, such as electrolyte disturbances (especially potassium levels) and high blood pressure.
Urologists and nephrologists are different kinds of healthcare providers that can treat kidney problems. Urologists are surgeons of the urinary tract and the male reproductive tract who can remove cancers of the kidneys, open up blockages in the ureters from stones, or help drain the bladder better.
Usually your primary healthcare provider will help you decide when to see a nephrologist based on your symptoms, the results of tests, and the stage of your condition.
It’s important to see a nephrologist at an early stage if you have kidney problems. Multiple medical studies have shown that patients who are referred to a nephrologist at a late stage of disease are more likely to progress to dialysis or even more likely to die.
Signs and Symptoms of Kidney Disease
The earlysymptoms of kidney diseasecan be general and vague, so it’s easy to confuse them for more common conditions. Some early warning signs include:
Can Kidney Disease Cause No Symptoms?Early on with kidney disease, and sometimes even with advanced kidney disease, people may have few symptoms. It’s very common for people with kidney disease to have no symptoms.
Can Kidney Disease Cause No Symptoms?
Early on with kidney disease, and sometimes even with advanced kidney disease, people may have few symptoms. It’s very common for people with kidney disease to have no symptoms.
Risk Factors for Kidney Disease
Kidney disease can get serious before you ever have symptoms. Your provider will talk to you about your risk factors for kidney disease and may recommend taking certainsteps to try to prevent kidney diseaseor at least catch it early, should it develop.
Kidney InjuriesYour kidneys are located on your flanks near your spine. If your back or the side of your body below your diaphragm is injured, your kidneys could also be hurt.
Kidney Injuries
Your kidneys are located on your flanks near your spine. If your back or the side of your body below your diaphragm is injured, your kidneys could also be hurt.
You might be at a higher risk of developing kidney failure if you have:
Tests and Procedures
There are several tests a nephrologist can do to screen for kidney disease and check how it’s progressing.
Blood tests a nephrologist might use to diagnose kidney problems include:
Urine tests a nephrologist might use include those that check the urine for:
Imaging tests a nephrologist might do of the kidneys include:
Most early kidney issues can be treated with medications or changes in what you are drinking (fluids). In advanced stages, nephrologists may need to put you on dialysis. This will be the only way that your body will be able to remove toxins and balance electrolytes, since your kidneys have failed and cannot do that job anymore.
What to Expect at Your First Visit
Your primary care provider may give you a referral to see a nephrologist if you have elevated Cr (stage 4) or a GFR of less than 30. Some people should see a kidney doctor much sooner.
Since timely consultation with a nephrologist is correlated with survival, it’s best to err on the side of seeing one of these healthcare providers earlier rather than later.
When you have your first visit, your nephrologist will go over your medical records and ask you about your health. They will look at any tests that have already been done and explain what they mean.
They may talk to you about what other tests or procedures they’d like to do, and whether they think your current treatment is working. If not, they might recommend you try changing your treatment or starting something new.
If you have any questions or do not understand what your nephrologist is talking about, be sure to speak up. It’s important that you feel like you can advocate for your health.
Your primary care provider may recommend a nephrologist to you or give you a referral. If not, you can ask them if they would recommend someone.
You can check your local healthcare systems to see if any nephrologists they employ are taking new patients. You can also look for practices that are within a reasonable traveling distance.
Before you call a provider’s office to ask about appointments for a consultation, check with your health insurance provider (if you have it) to see if the provider is in-network for coverage and whether they need a referral.
Summary
A provider who treats kidney problems is called a nephrologist. If you have chronic kidney disease or a serious problem with your kidneys, your regular provider may refer you to a nephrologist for treatment. A nephrologist may also be an important part of your care team if you have a chronic illness like diabetes that can affect your kidneys over time.
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12 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.American College of Physicians.Nephrology.John Hopkins Medicine.Chronic kidney disease.National Kidney Foundation.Chronic kidney disease.Urology Care Foundation.What is urology?.Jungers P, Zingraff J, Albouze G, et al.Late referral to maintenance dialysis: detrimental consequences.Nephrol Dial Transplant. 1993;8(10):1089-1093.Winkelmayer WC, Owen WF Jr, Levin R, Avorn J.A propensity analysis of late versus early nephrologist referral and mortality on dialysis.J Am Soc Nephrol. 2003;14(2):486-492. doi:10.1097/01.asn.0000046047.66958.c3Levin A.Consequences of late referral on patient outcomes.Nephrol Dial Transplant. 2000;15 Suppl 3:8-13. doi:10.1093/oxfordjournals.ndt.a027977National Kidney Foundation.10 signs you may have kidney disease.Centers for Disease Control.National Chronic Kidney Disease Fact Sheet.Kazancioğlu R. Risk factors for chronic kidney disease: an update.Kidney Int Suppl (2011). 2013;3(4):368-371. doi:10.1038/kisup.2013.79Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Kidney testing: Everything you need to know.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Choosing a Treatment for Kidney Failure.Additional ReadingKim, D., Kim, M, Kim, H. et al.Early Referral to a Nephrologist Improved Patient Survival: Prospective Cohort Study for End-Stage Renal Disease in Korea.PLoS One.Smart, N., and T. Titus.Outcomes of Early versus Late Nephrology Referral in Chronic Kidney Disease: A Systematic Review.American Journal of Medicine.Smart, N., Dieberg, G., Ladhani, M., and T. Titus.Early Referral to Specialist Nephrology Services for Preventing Progression to End-Stage Kidney Disease.Cochrane Database for Systematic Reviews.
12 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.American College of Physicians.Nephrology.John Hopkins Medicine.Chronic kidney disease.National Kidney Foundation.Chronic kidney disease.Urology Care Foundation.What is urology?.Jungers P, Zingraff J, Albouze G, et al.Late referral to maintenance dialysis: detrimental consequences.Nephrol Dial Transplant. 1993;8(10):1089-1093.Winkelmayer WC, Owen WF Jr, Levin R, Avorn J.A propensity analysis of late versus early nephrologist referral and mortality on dialysis.J Am Soc Nephrol. 2003;14(2):486-492. doi:10.1097/01.asn.0000046047.66958.c3Levin A.Consequences of late referral on patient outcomes.Nephrol Dial Transplant. 2000;15 Suppl 3:8-13. doi:10.1093/oxfordjournals.ndt.a027977National Kidney Foundation.10 signs you may have kidney disease.Centers for Disease Control.National Chronic Kidney Disease Fact Sheet.Kazancioğlu R. Risk factors for chronic kidney disease: an update.Kidney Int Suppl (2011). 2013;3(4):368-371. doi:10.1038/kisup.2013.79Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Kidney testing: Everything you need to know.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Choosing a Treatment for Kidney Failure.Additional ReadingKim, D., Kim, M, Kim, H. et al.Early Referral to a Nephrologist Improved Patient Survival: Prospective Cohort Study for End-Stage Renal Disease in Korea.PLoS One.Smart, N., and T. Titus.Outcomes of Early versus Late Nephrology Referral in Chronic Kidney Disease: A Systematic Review.American Journal of Medicine.Smart, N., Dieberg, G., Ladhani, M., and T. Titus.Early Referral to Specialist Nephrology Services for Preventing Progression to End-Stage Kidney Disease.Cochrane Database for Systematic Reviews.
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.
American College of Physicians.Nephrology.John Hopkins Medicine.Chronic kidney disease.National Kidney Foundation.Chronic kidney disease.Urology Care Foundation.What is urology?.Jungers P, Zingraff J, Albouze G, et al.Late referral to maintenance dialysis: detrimental consequences.Nephrol Dial Transplant. 1993;8(10):1089-1093.Winkelmayer WC, Owen WF Jr, Levin R, Avorn J.A propensity analysis of late versus early nephrologist referral and mortality on dialysis.J Am Soc Nephrol. 2003;14(2):486-492. doi:10.1097/01.asn.0000046047.66958.c3Levin A.Consequences of late referral on patient outcomes.Nephrol Dial Transplant. 2000;15 Suppl 3:8-13. doi:10.1093/oxfordjournals.ndt.a027977National Kidney Foundation.10 signs you may have kidney disease.Centers for Disease Control.National Chronic Kidney Disease Fact Sheet.Kazancioğlu R. Risk factors for chronic kidney disease: an update.Kidney Int Suppl (2011). 2013;3(4):368-371. doi:10.1038/kisup.2013.79Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Kidney testing: Everything you need to know.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Choosing a Treatment for Kidney Failure.
American College of Physicians.Nephrology.
John Hopkins Medicine.Chronic kidney disease.
National Kidney Foundation.Chronic kidney disease.
Urology Care Foundation.What is urology?.
Jungers P, Zingraff J, Albouze G, et al.Late referral to maintenance dialysis: detrimental consequences.Nephrol Dial Transplant. 1993;8(10):1089-1093.
Winkelmayer WC, Owen WF Jr, Levin R, Avorn J.A propensity analysis of late versus early nephrologist referral and mortality on dialysis.J Am Soc Nephrol. 2003;14(2):486-492. doi:10.1097/01.asn.0000046047.66958.c3
Levin A.Consequences of late referral on patient outcomes.Nephrol Dial Transplant. 2000;15 Suppl 3:8-13. doi:10.1093/oxfordjournals.ndt.a027977
National Kidney Foundation.10 signs you may have kidney disease.
Centers for Disease Control.National Chronic Kidney Disease Fact Sheet.
Kazancioğlu R. Risk factors for chronic kidney disease: an update.Kidney Int Suppl (2011). 2013;3(4):368-371. doi:10.1038/kisup.2013.79
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Kidney testing: Everything you need to know.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Choosing a Treatment for Kidney Failure.
Kim, D., Kim, M, Kim, H. et al.Early Referral to a Nephrologist Improved Patient Survival: Prospective Cohort Study for End-Stage Renal Disease in Korea.PLoS One.Smart, N., and T. Titus.Outcomes of Early versus Late Nephrology Referral in Chronic Kidney Disease: A Systematic Review.American Journal of Medicine.Smart, N., Dieberg, G., Ladhani, M., and T. Titus.Early Referral to Specialist Nephrology Services for Preventing Progression to End-Stage Kidney Disease.Cochrane Database for Systematic Reviews.
Kim, D., Kim, M, Kim, H. et al.Early Referral to a Nephrologist Improved Patient Survival: Prospective Cohort Study for End-Stage Renal Disease in Korea.PLoS One.
Smart, N., and T. Titus.Outcomes of Early versus Late Nephrology Referral in Chronic Kidney Disease: A Systematic Review.American Journal of Medicine.
Smart, N., Dieberg, G., Ladhani, M., and T. Titus.Early Referral to Specialist Nephrology Services for Preventing Progression to End-Stage Kidney Disease.Cochrane Database for Systematic Reviews.
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