Your kidneys are the organs that are responsible for removing built-up wastes and excess fluids from your blood stream. Certain diseases and medical conditions, like high blood pressure and diabetes, may cause damage to your kidneys over time. Damaged or diseased kidneys lose their waste-filtering capabilities, which can lead to dangerous levels of toxins in your blood, which may ultimately result in death.
Hemodialysis
When your kidneys completely stop working, you need an alternative method for removing the toxic buildup of wastes in your body. According to the National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse, hemodialysis is the most common method used to treat someone whose kidneys have failed. Hemodialysis works by moving your blood flow through a specialized machine that removes the excess waste and water through a series of permeable membranes and returns the cleaned blood back to your body. The hemodialysis process mimics the natural function of your kidneys.
Malnutrition
Your body needs to have adequate nutritional intake for all of the necessary biological functions in cells and tissues that keep you alive. Your nutritional intake should include essential components from your diet like fiber, protein, fats, vitamins, amino acids, minerals, small metals and many other small molecules and compounds. According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information's PubMed Health website, you will become malnourished when you do not get an adequate supply of essential nutrients. Malnutrition may be caused by a number of factors, including a poor diet and digestive and eating disorders.
Inflammation
Inflammation is the result of your immune system responding to damaged tissues, toxic substances or harmful foreign microbes, such as bacteria and viruses. In contrast to the protective effects of your immune system, inflammation can also occur when your immune system starts to attack normal components of your body. Disorders of the immune system are often called autoimmune diseases, which include irritable bowel disease, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis. According to the Cleveland Clinic, painful and detrimental inflammation can be treated with a variety of medications, including corticosteroids such as prednisone and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen and aspirin.
Association of Malnutrition, Inflammation and Hemodialysis
People who undergo hemodialysis for a long time usually suffer from both malnutrition and chronic inflammation. According to a study published in the August 2004 issue of the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition," malnutrition and inflammation often occur in long-term hemodialysis patients in a condition known as the malnutrition-inflammation complex syndrome, or MICS. The severity of MICS is now used as a diagnostic and prediction factor when determining the patients' quality of life, potential for hospitalization and mortality.
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