Lowering unhealthy cholesterol with statins can reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke in patients, including those with kidney disease. This therapy, however, may not help kidney disease itself.

About 1.5 million people around the world are currently on hemodialysis — an artificial blood filtering treatment for kidney failure. This treatment is known to impact patients' physical function, but they may have more control than they realize.

For over 20 years, coronary angioplasty has been used to open narrowed arteries and improve blood flow. The procedure, however, can cause complications, including harm to the kidneys.

People with advanced kidney disease sometimes must undergo dialysis, during which waste is filtered from the blood. Certain drugs may delay the need for dialysis.

Wheelchairs, canes and oxygen have been allowed on board airplanes for some time. But not all assistive devices have been allowed for free. Dialysis machines for the kidneys were on that list.

Before kidney transplantation, heavier patients are often told to lose weight to reduce the risk of complications. However, it's still unclear if some obese patients are too heavy to get a kidney transplant at all.

Kidney injury does not always require dialysis. But when injuries are severe enough, patients need dialysis to do the job of their kidneys. Now it appears these severe kidney injuries may be on the rise.

If your kidneys are damaged, you may start to have health problems in other parts of your body. As rates of kidney disease rise, researchers want to know what these health problems may be.

Kidney transplants can save the lives of patients with kidney failure. Unfortunately, patients' bodies do not always accept the new organ.