Nephrology is a subspecialty of internal medicine that focuses on conditions related to the kidneys and kidney health. Our fellowship-trained nephrologists are dedicated to the prevention, treatment and management of kidney disease and a number of other conditions that impact kidney function, including:

These problems with the kidneys may be caused by:

• Aging. As we age, changes in the structure of the kidneys can cause them to lose some of their ability to remove wastes from the blood. The muscles in the ureters, bladder and urethra also tend to lose some of their strength, but this alone does not cause chronic kidney diseases.

• Illness or injury. Damage to the kidneys caused by illness, inflammation, immune responses, or an injury can also prevent them from filtering the blood completely or block the passage of urine. Diabetes and high blood pressure (hypertension) are two leading causes of kidney disease.

• Toxicity. The kidneys may be damaged by substances, such as certain medicines, a buildup of some substances in the body or toxic substances such as poisons.