An Overview of Kidney Disease

Caregiver with patient in wheelchair

The kidneys play a very important function in our health.  It helps balance water and minerals in the blood, removes waste from the blood, helps regulate blood pressure, and even produces a form of vitamin D for bone health according to WebMD. With such important functions, when the kidney becomes damaged, the loss of function can be troublesome.  If the damage and loss of function lasts over three months, then it is identified as chronic kidney disease. If the disease progresses to kidney failure, the patient might need to be put on a dialysis machine.