COMPREHENSIVE
Available Services
The services we offer at Carolina Kidney Care are provided by a leading team of nephrologists, and nurse practitioners who are highly trained and experienced in the treatment of chronic kidney disease. Between our offices in Fayetteville and Lumberton [Fully Staffed Offices], our practice is staffed with ten nephrologists, along with a team of nurse practitioners who understand the best treatments for your kidney conditions. Our treatment process may involve more than one provider for each case, depending on the stage of kidney disease and each patient’s needs — we see this as the best way to utilize our doctors’ specializations and provide the most effective healthcare possible for our patients.
Conditions We Treat
Acute Kidney Injury (or acute renal failure) refers to kidney damage that happens suddenly. This can occur in the hospital or in the outpatient setting.
Anemia is common for patients with kidney disease, as the diseased kidney doesn’t create enough erythropoietin (EPO) to produce a healthy number of red blood cells. Carolina Kidney Care will refer you out to an injection clinic to administer Iron and EPO to correct anemia in a convenient and timely manner.
Our nephrologists specialize in CKD, providing leading care in all five stages of kidney disease. A patient will primarily receive care from one physician, but may see several doctors during certain stages throughout treatment.
Diabetic nephropathy is a serious kidney-related complication of type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes. It is also called diabetic kidney disease. About 25% of people with diabetes eventually develop kidney disease. Diabetic nephropathy affects your kidneys' ability to do their usual work of removing waste products and extra fluid from your body. The best way to prevent or delay diabetic nephropathy is by maintaining a healthy lifestyle and treating your diabetes and high blood pressure.
At Carolina Kidney Care, we know that your treatment doesn’t end when you leave our office. That’s why our providers also oversee patient care at a variety of dialysis centers throughout the area. Our doctors not only will admit you to your dialysis location of choice but also will follow you through your course of treatment along the way.
As a comprehensive kidney care center, Carolina Kidney Care offers a variety of treatment services for our patients. Our nephrologists make it their priority to provide our patients with the information, treatment and support they need throughout each stage of treatment.
When you have kidney disease, extra fluid and sodium in your circulation may cause edema. The edema associated with kidney disease usually occurs in your legs and around your eyes.
Kidney damage. Damage to the tiny, filtering blood vessels in your kidneys can result in nephrotic syndrome. In nephrotic syndrome, declining levels of protein (albumin) in your blood can lead to fluid accumulation and edema.
Electrolyte Disorders happen when one or more of your electrolyte levels are too low or too high. It's normal to have temporary changes in your electrolyte Levels when you lose a lot of fluids after excess sweating, vomiting, or diarrhea. But if your electrolyte levels are frequently too low or too high, you may have an electrolyte disorder.
End Stage Renal Disease occurs when the kidneys lose function to the point where they cannot keep you healthy and feeling well on their own. People with ESRD need dialysis or kidney transplant.
Many diseases affect kidney function by attacking the glomeruli, the tiny units within the kidney where blood is cleaned. Glomerular diseases include many conditions with a variety of genetic and environmental causes, but they fall into two major categories:
- Glomerulonephritis describes the inflammation of the membrane tissue in the kidney that serves as a filter, separating wastes and extra fluid from the blood.
- Glomerulosclerosis describes the scarring or hardening of the tiny blood vessels within the kidney.
Although glomerulonephritis and glomerulosclerosis have different causes, they can both lead to kidney failure.
How do glomerular diseases interfere with kidney function? Glomerular diseases damage the glomeruli, letting protein and sometimes red blood cells leak into the urine. Sometimes a glomerular disease also interferes with the clearance of waste products by the kidney, so they begin to build up in the blood. Furthermore, loss of blood proteins like albumin in the urine can result in a fall in their level in the bloodstream. In normal blood, albumin acts like a sponge, drawing extra fluid from the body into the bloodstream, where it remains until the kidneys remove it. But when albumin leaks into the urine, the blood loses its capacity to absorb extra fluid from the body. Fluid can accumulate outside the circulatory system in the face, hands, feet, or ankles and cause swelling.
Gout is a common and complex form of arthritis that can affect anyone. It's characterized by sudden, severe attacks of pain, swelling, redness and tenderness in one or more joints, most often in the big toe.
Hematuria is the presence of blood in a person’s urine. The two types of hematuria are
- gross hematuria—when a person can see the blood in his or her urine
- microscopic hematuria—when a person cannot see the blood in his or her urine, yet it is seen under a microscope
Blood pressure is the force of blood in the arteries. When the heart beats, blood propels in the arteries with force. This is called systolic blood pressure. When the heart relaxes after each beat, the force of the blood flow drops, which is called diastolic blood pressure. Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is the chronic state of elevated pressure in the arteries. A person with systolic and/or diastolic blood pressures consistently above the normal range (120/80 mm hg) is said to have hypertension.
High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease, congestive heart failure, stroke, impaired vision, and kidney disease. Generally, the higher the blood pressure, the greater the risk. Untreated hypertension affects all organ system and can shorten one’s life expectancy by 10 to 20 years.
Blood pressure readings are expressed as two numbers, such as 140/90 mm hg. The top number, 140, refers to systolic blood pressure 1hile 90 refers to diastolic blood pressure. Both of these numbers are important.
The National High Blood Pressure Education Program Working Group. Emphasizes that blood pressure should be reduced “slowly and cautiously” in older patients. Lower initial doses of medications should generally be used and increases in the doses of medications prescribed should likewise be made in smaller increments.
Kidney stones are hard, pebble-like pieces of material that form in one or both of your kidneys when high levels of certain minerals are in your urine. Kidney stones rarely cause permanent damage if treated by a health care professional. Kidney stones vary in size and shape. They may be as small as a grain of sand or as large as a pea. Rarely, some kidney stones are as big as golf balls. Kidney stones may be smooth or jagged and are usually yellow or brown. A small kidney stone may pass through your urinary tract on its own, causing little or no pain. A larger kidney stone may get stuck along the way. A kidney stone that gets stuck can block your flow of urine, causing severe pain or bleeding.
Lupus nephritis is a type of kidney disease caused by systemic lupus erythematosus NIH external link (SLE or lupus). Lupus is an autoimmune disease NIH external link—a disorder in which the body’s immune system attacks the body’s own cells and organs. Kidney disease caused by lupus may get worse over time and lead to kidney failure. If your kidneys fail, you will need dialysis or a kidney transplant to maintain your health.
Mineral and bone disorder in CKD occurs when damaged kidneys and abnormal hormone levels cause calcium and phosphorus levels in a person’s blood to be out of balance. Mineral and bone disorder commonly occurs in people with CKD and affects most people with kidney failure receiving dialysis.
In the past, health care providers used the term “renal osteodystrophy” to describe mineral and hormone disturbances caused by kidney disease. Today, renal osteodystrophy only describes bone problems that result from mineral and bone disorder in CKD. Health care providers might use the phrase “chronic kidney disease mineral and bone disorder,” or CKD-MBD, to describe the condition that affects the bones, heart, and blood vessels.
Nephrotic syndrome is a group of symptoms that indicate your kidneys are not working properly. These symptoms include
- too much protein in your urine, called proteinuria
- low levels of a protein called albumin in your blood, called hypoalbuminemia
- swelling in parts of your body, called edema
- high levels of cholesterol and other lipids (fats) in your blood, called hyperlipidemia
Polycystic kidney disease (PKD) is a genetic disorder that causes many fluid-filled cysts to grow in your kidneys. Unlike the usually harmless simple kidney cysts that can form in the kidneys later in life, PKD cysts can change the shape of your kidneys, including making them much larger. PKD is a form of chronic kidney disease (CKD) that reduces kidney function and may lead to kidney failure. PKD also can cause other complications, or problems, such as high blood pressure, cysts in the liver, and problems with blood vessels in your brain and heart.
Once a patient has a Kidney Transplant, they will be followed closely by the transplant center for at least a year. The kidney transplant center will closely monitor kidney function, medication levels, and watch for potential complications. About a year after the Kidney Transplant, the transplant centers will transfer care back to us. At that point, we will work in conjunction with the transplant_team to provide you with the best possible post transplant kidney care.
Renal artery stenosis (RAS) is the narrowing of one or both renal arteries. “Renal” means “kidney” and “stenosis” means “narrowing.” The renal arteries are blood vessels that carry blood to the kidneys from the aorta—the main blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to arteries throughout the body.
Renovascular hypertension (RVH) is high blood pressure caused by RAS. Blood pressure is written with two numbers separated by a slash, 120/80, and is said as “120 over 80.” The top number is called the systolic pressure and represents the pressure as the heart beats and pushes blood through the blood vessels. The bottom number is called the diastolic pressure and represents the pressure as blood vessels relax between heartbeats. A person’s blood pressure is considered normal if it stays at or below 120/80. High blood pressure is a systolic pressure of 140 or above or a diastolic pressure of 90 or above.