What diseases require hemodialysis?
Hemodialysis is a treatment that uses an artificial machine to remove metabolic waste and excess water from the blood. It is mainly used for patients with kidney failure. Below are the main diseases and related information that require hemodialysis.
1. Diseases requiring hemodialysis

| Disease name | Description | Necessity of dialysis |
|---|---|---|
| Chronic kidney failure (uremia) | Severe loss of kidney function and inability to filter metabolic waste | Necessary, long-term maintenance treatment |
| acute kidney injury | The kidneys suddenly stop working, often due to severe infection or trauma | Temporary dialysis until kidney function returns |
| diabetic nephropathy | kidney damage due to diabetes | Late stage requires dialysis |
| Hypertensive nephropathy | Kidney disease caused by long-term hypertension | Late stage requires dialysis |
| drug or poison poisoning | Certain drugs or toxins need to be removed through hemodialysis | emergency dialysis |
2. Indications of hemodialysis
Hemodialysis is usually used when:
| indicator | critical value |
|---|---|
| Serum creatinine | >8mg/dL (chronic) or rapidly rising (acute) |
| serum potassium | >6.5mmol/L (hyperkalemia) |
| Urea nitrogen | >100mg/dL |
| urine output | <400mL/day (oliguria) |
| acidosis | pH<7.2 and HCO3-<15mmol/L |
3. Contraindications of hemodialysis
Although hemodialysis is a life-saving treatment, you should be cautious in the following situations:
| Contraindications | Reason |
|---|---|
| severe hypotension | Dialysis may worsen circulatory failure |
| severe bleeding tendency | Anticoagulant use is risky |
| severe cardiac arrhythmia | Electrolyte fluctuations may worsen the condition |
| advanced malignant tumors | Survival and treatment benefit need to be assessed |
4. Complications of hemodialysis
Hemodialysis may cause the following complications:
| Complications | incidence | Treatment measures |
|---|---|---|
| hypotension | 20-30% | Adjust ultrafiltration rate and replenish fluid |
| muscle spasms | 5-20% | Add sodium to adjust dry body weight |
| headache | 5-10% | Assess blood pressure and adjust dialysate sodium concentration |
| infection | 1-2% | Strict aseptic operation and antibiotic treatment |
5. Recent hot topics and hemodialysis
According to recent medical hot topics, the following topics are related to hemodialysis:
| hot topics | Summary of contents |
|---|---|
| The rise of home dialysis | Progress in research and development of portable dialysis equipment to improve patients’ quality of life |
| post-coronavirus nephropathy | Study shows some people who have recovered from COVID-19 develop kidney damage |
| Artificial kidney progress | Bioartificial kidney enters clinical trials |
| Dialysis costs included in medical insurance | Increase the reimbursement ratio of uremia medical insurance in many places |
6. Summary
Hemodialysis is a lifeline for patients with end-stage renal disease and is suitable for a variety of kidney diseases and poisoning conditions. With the advancement of medical technology, dialysis treatment has become safer and more effective. Patients should follow up regularly, cooperate with doctors to adjust treatment plans, and pay attention to the latest treatment progress and medical insurance policies.
For patients requiring dialysis, early planning of vascular access, controlling complications, and maintaining nutritional status are crucial. The medical team will develop the best dialysis plan based on individual circumstances to help patients maintain a better quality of life.
check the details
check the details