Nephrology
Nephrologists offer medical treatment of kidney disease, high blood pressure (hypertension), including the use of dialysis and transplantation to treat patients with advanced, end stage kidney failure.
Established in 1959, Nephrology is one of the oldest medical specialties with continuous representation at Rockwood Clinic. Rockwood Clinic has six physicians and four other providers working out of three Nephrology offices in Spokane and Coeur d’Alene with patients in a six county area. This group covers eight different dialysis units and six hospitals spread over a 70-mile radius. The group currently provides care to more than 300 dialysis patients and more than 400 patients who have received a kidney transplant. They also specialize in treating patients with difficult to control high blood pressure occurring in special situations, such as pregnancy.
Kidney failure is most commonly caused by diabetes and high blood pressure. Diseases of the circulation, often due to cigarette smoking, are also major causes of chronic kidney disease. Lupus and other diseases of the immune system, environmental toxins (lead, overuse of some pain medications), and hereditary kidney diseases also produce kidney disease requiring the expertise of nephrologists. Once kidney functions is reduced to an advanced degree (end stage kidney failure) life can be maintained through dialysis, or kidney function can be restored with a successful kidney transplant.
Untreated, chronic kidney disease often involves the slow, progressive destruction of kidney function. However, modern aggressive treatments as prescribed and managed by nephrologists are effective in slowing or completely stopping this decline in kidney function.