Is Kidney Dialysis Painful?

Dialysis is the process of replacing renal function in the absence of a working kidney. Neither hemodialysis nor peritoneal dialysis itself is painful; however, there are some side effects that can cause discomfort.

Facts

• Either dialysis or a transplant is required after the loss of 85 to 90 percent of kidney function. Without one of these interventions, the patient will die.

Hemodialysis

• During hemodialysis, about a cup of the patient's blood is removed at a time and filtered through a machine to clean it and remove excess fluids. Most hemodialysis procedures are performed in dialysis clinics three or more times per week.

Peritoneal Dialysis

• Peritoneal dialysis is primarily performed at home by introducing fluid into the patient's abdomen a few times per day.

Complications

• While the kidney dialysis procedure itself should be painless, some of the complications such as muscle cramping can be uncomfortable. These cramps can occur if too much fluid is removed too quickly.

Prevention/Treatment

• In order to prevent muscle cramps, the patient should strictly adhere to their renal diet and tightly control their fluid intake. If cramps occur during treatment, they can be quickly remedied by administering fluids to the patient.