Conservative Kidney Management
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Conservative Kidney Management

  • Back view of an elderly couple sitting on a dock
    Conservative kidney management is an active treatment choice in which kidney disease is managed with medication and diet, with no plans for a transplant or dialysis.

    It involves treating the symptoms of kidney disease, preventing and managing problems, protecting the remaining kidney function, and supportive medical and psychosocial care. This type of kidney care is for patients with end-stage kidney disease who would prefer not to include dialysis as part of their treatment plan.

Why choose conservative kidney management?

If you choose conservative kidney management either because you decide not to start dialysis or because you’ve decided to stop, you will receive high quality medical care. The goal of conservative kidney management is to preserve kidney function for as long as possible through diet and medication, knowing that this can slow the decline in kidney function, but may not prevent it.

Some people choose this type of care because they have other life-threatening medical conditions, are not candidates for a transplant, and/or feel the burden and discomfort of dialysis outweigh the potential benefits. They decide that conservative kidney management is a reasonable choice for them because they will receive supportive physical and emotional care right up until the end of life.

Depending on where you are in life and other reasons like your overall health, it is wise to consider several factors as you make your treatment decision. Your healthcare team can help you rule out depression and other issues that may be influencing how you feel. Sometimes it could be your doctor who raises the subject, especially if they feel that dialysis treatments will not provide any further benefit for you. But the final decision is yours and you can change it at any time.

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Looking for more information?

Our handbook Living with Kidney Failure will help you understand the treatment options, the importance of advance care planning, and gives advice for dealing with practical matters such as work, money and insurance.

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