I feel like it would clear the waste and everything else so why do people still die even if the dialysis is taking over the function of the kidneys or anything else?
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I am a dialysis nurse. They can. There are variations on the duration of “rest of”. I’ve seen months to decades. Dialysis only takes care of certain things- acid/base balance, electrolytes correction, and removing fluid that would have been urine in a working kidney person.
Kidney failure typically comes from high BP, diabetes, and the remaining causes are prevalent, but a much smaller amt. Usually these people have MANY other problems: mineral disorders, vitamin D dysregulation, high BP continues. A person has to restrict their fluid intake ALL OF THE TIME along with a restricted diet. It is a difficult life not to mention 3 days a week having to spend 3-4 hrs of dialysis that kinda wrecks the rest of the day with fatigue. Dialysis pulls off fluid quickly and corrects waste products quickly, which puts strain on the body. Kidneys are doing that 24 hrs a day so there’s no spikes or drops.
Overall, those on dialysis will have a shorter life, all other things held equal, somewhere around 5 years, aggregate. A transplant is far superior. Dialysis is a stop-gap to prevent dying – it works yet it is a brutal life, invading all aspects of what one does. Often, they can’t work because of the schedule and other problems.
The kidneys do a lot – synthesis of active vitamin D, major BP regulation, waste excretion, water balance, electrolyte balance, and not having these affect other systems in the body, significantly. Again, they can stay on dialysis for “the rest” of their lives, but it really takes it toll on them.
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