Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) Centers of Excellence
Let’s Talk About Kidneys
Polycystic kidney disease (PKD) is a genetic disorder that can lead to chronic kidney disease, hypertension, and kidney failure. Affecting between 500,000 and 600,000 Americans, treatment targets symptom management with diet, medications, and, if needed, dialysis or a kidney transplant.
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What is Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD)?
Let’s Talk About Kidneys
Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) affects about 600,000 people in the United States, according to the PKD Foundation. It is one of the most common genetic kidney disorders, yet many people don’t even know they have it until later in life. Today, we’ll break down what PKD is, how it’s diagnosed, and how people can live well with it.
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Kidney Stones
Let’s Talk About Kidneys
In this episode of Let’s Talk About Kidneys, Dr. Jayasree Grandhi of Dallas Nephrology Associates breaks down kidney stones—what they are, what causes them, and how to prevent and treat them. Affecting up to 1 in 5 men and 1 in 10 women, kidney stones are common but manageable with the right care.
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Pregnancy and Kidney Disease: What to expect?
Let’s Talk About Kidneys
Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is a condition that affects how the kidneys work over time. For women with CKD who are planning to have a family, there are important factors to consider to ensure the best possible outcomes. Can I have a baby if I have CKD?
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Kidney Disease: From Diagnosis, Staging and Common Lab Tests
Let’s Talk About Kidneys
In this episode of Let's Talk About Kidneys, Dr. Lauren McDonald, a nephrologist with Dallas Nephrology Associates, discusses the diagnosis, staging, and common tests for patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Dr. McDonald explains how kidney disease is diagnosed, common symptoms, and some of the key tests, including BUN, creatinine, GFR, hemoglobin A1C, kidney biopsies, and more. She also discusses the importance of being your own healthcare advocate, family histories, how to maintain health records, and the importance of monitoring your diabetes, and...
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What is New in Kidney Transplant?
Let’s Talk About Kidneys
This episode of Let's Talk About Kidneys, Dr. Saim, a nephrologist with Dallas Nephrology Associates, discusses what is new in kidney transplant. The podcast discusses advancements in kidney transplantation, focusing on the benefits and risks of living and deceased donor transplant. Dr. Saim highlights that over 25,000 transplants were performed last year, with nearly 7,000 from living donors. Living donor transplants offer better survival rates and shorter waiting time. The waiting list has nearly 100,000 patients, with blood group O having the longest wait. ...
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Dialysis Patients and Their Diet
Let’s Talk About Kidneys
Let's Talk About Kidneys Dialysis Patients and Their Diet In this episode of Let’s Talk About Kidneys, Dr. Rao, a nephrologist at Dallas Nephrology Associates, discusses the importance of diet for all dialysis patients. She emphasizes the need for dietary modifications even before dialysis, focusing on reducing salt intake, managing potassium and phosphorus levels, and maintaining adequate protein consumption. Introduction Dr. Rao shares her background, mentioning that she joined Dallas Nephrology Associates fifteen years ago and sees patients mostly in Mesquite, Sunnyvale, and...
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New Treatment Therapies In Kidney Care
Let’s Talk About Kidneys
In this episode of the Let’s Talk About Kidneys podcast, Dr. Roberto Collazo addresses the development of new treatments for kidney disease that are essential for slowing disease progression, improving patient outcomes, and preventing kidney failure. Throughout his discussion, he will examine various therapeutic options currently available, as well as those expected in the future. What types of treatments have there been in the past for patients with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)? Dr. Collazo addressed the medications available during the 1990s and early 2000s. He also discussed newly...
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Weight Management Strategies with CKD
Let’s Talk About Kidneys
In this episode of the Let’s Talk About Kidneys podcast, Dallas Nephrology Associates Dietitian, Nadiya Lakhani, RDN, CSR, LD, FNKF, explains why weight management is important to the general population and how it affects the kidneys. How does weight affect the kidneys? When the body carries more weight than it can handle, it increases the demand on the kidneys to hyper filtrate. In other words, it forces your kidneys to work harder, which will eventually cause them to be overworked. On the flip side, unintentional weight loss increases the risk of that person having increased...
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Kidney Transplant - Getting Started
Let’s Talk About Kidneys
In this episode of the Let’s Talk About Kidneys podcast, Dr. Muhammad Qureshi talks about the benefits of a kidney transplant, why it’s a good choice after kidney failure, and what the process looks like before, during and after. Why should a CKD patient consider a kidney transplant? Dr. Qureshi talks about the fact that there are both mortality and morbidity benefits of a kidney transplant. In other words, not only do you live longer, but you live better. Who qualifies for a kidney transplant? Anyone who has a kidney function less than 20% or someone who has already...
info_outlineNo day is ever the same for a nephrologist. Dallas Nephrology Associates’ Dr. Paul Skluzacek may see his kidney patients in the office, have hospital rounds, dialysis rounds and much more. In this episode of Let’s Talk About Kidneys, learn about Dr. Skluzacek’s busy days providing patient care and how his schedule changes from one day to another.
What is a Nephrologist?
Nephrologists are kidney doctors. They have special training that includes completion of medical school followed by a residency in Internal Medicine and then additional specialty training in Nephrology.
They treat systemic conditions affecting kidneys, such as diabetes, an autoimmune disease, as well as hypertension (high blood pressure) and electrolyte disturbances.
Reasons to see a nephrologist may include:
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Protein or blood in the urine
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Uncontrolled high blood pressure
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Kidney stones
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Chronic kidney disease (CKD)
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Kidney failure
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Vascular access management
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Transplant care
What does a day in the life of a Nephrologist look like?
For a nephrologist, each day is different. Hours may be spent seeing kidney patients in an office-based setting at the clinic, running tests as well as interpreting them. They also prescribe medicine and treatments, conduct hospital rounds and visit their patients at dialysis centers.
Nephrologists also spend time making notes on their patients’ physical conditions and advise them how to stay healthy.
“The clinic patients are the outpatients that we see in the office,” says Dr. Skluzacek. “The focus there is to preserve their kidney function, protect their kidneys and keep them out of the hospital.”
Patients who are admitted to the hospital are there because their kidney illness is more serious.
“They can be as sick as being on the ventilator in the ICU to patients that are there just for severe hypertension or high blood pressure control,” Dr. Skluzacek says.
With a schedule that includes practicing at four locations across the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, Dr. Skluzacek says he spends a lot of time on the road. He also sees his dialysis patients once a week.
“The vast majority of things we can handle over the phone now because we have access to the electronic health records through the Internet,” he says, “but probably about half of the time, I have to go in and see a patient.”
The Business of Taking Care of People
Dr. Skluzacek believes that compassion is an important part of being a physician, especially if you are a nephrologist.
“Patients with kidney disease have complex illnesses, and it's hard to navigate the healthcare system,” says Dr. Skluzacek,” so we as providers need to be compassionate, not only with the patients, but with their families and their other situations.”