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Nephrology is a subspecialty of Internal Medicine and deals with the study of the function and diseases of the kidney. It is the specialty focusing on the diagnosis and management, by medication, diet, or dialysis, of malfunctions and diseases of the kidneys. Nephrology involves the diagnosis and treatment of kidney diseases including electrolyte disturbances and hypertension, and the care of those requiring renal replacement therapy, including dialysis and renal transplant patients.
Many diseases affecting the kidney are not limited to the organ itself, but are systemic disorders, and may require not only a whole patient approach, but also special treatment, such as systemic vasculitides or other autoimmune diseases, such as lupus. Patients are referred to nephrology specialists for various different reasons:
- Cancer of the kidney, mostly renal cell carcinoma, but this is usually the domain of the urologist
- Chronic or recurrent urinary tract infections
- Hypertension that has failed to respond to multiple forms of anti-hypertensive medication, or could have a secondary cause
- Electrolyte disorders or acid/base imbalance
- Acute renal failure, a sudden loss of renal function
- Chronic renal failure; another doctor has detected symptoms of declining renal function, often a rise in creatinine.
- Hematuria (blood loss in the urine)
- Proteinuria the loss of protein especially albumin in the urine
- Kidney stones
Patient care services cover all aspects of the clinical discipline, including glomerulonephritis, vasculitis, electrolyte and acid-base disorders, hypertension, genetic kidney diseases, renal complications of pregnancy, and renal osteodystrophy. An understanding of kidney physiology is important not only in treating kidney disease but in knowing the effect of drugs, diet, and hypertension on kidney disease, and vice versa.
Medical Opinions Associates has Board-certified medical experts in nephrology. One of our Nephrologists, in addition to being Board-certified in both Internal Medicine and Nephrology, is on the faculty of a major medical university and is actively involved in clinical activities for the Division of Nephrology and Hypertension. He was also Chief Medical Officer for a Southwest Medical Group practice. In another teaching position, he was Medical Director of the Endstage Renal Disease Dialysis Program, responsible for all aspects of hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis. Another MOA nephrologist is Chief, Renal Disease Section, at a major South Carolina hospital and Associate Professor of Medicine. In this role, he established training programs in Nephrology for residents and medical students.
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