Creatinine 5.1, Fistula, When to Begin Dialysis

A:

From what you have described above, the main issue for your step father is the high creatinine level and a creatinine level higher than 5 is often regarded as a critical value to begin dialysis. That is to say, for some patients, creatinine 5.1 is quite high to begin dialysis, while for others dialysis is not necessary if they have no obvious symptoms or discomforts at all, just like in your father’s case.

First we need to know that creatinine 5.1 is quite high and often patients will have a series of unbearable symptoms such as frequent urination at night, thirst, dry mucous membrane, fatigue, swelling, high blood pressure, pulmonary edema, heart failure, electrolyte imbalances, metabolic acidosis, endocrine disorder, thyroid dysfunction, sexual dysfunction, etc.

The fistula is not a preparation for the dialysis treatment. Usually CKD stage 4 patients will have to prepare for dialysis or kidney transplant by placing a fistula in case they develop any critical condition that require dialysis to sustain their life.

Since your father has no obvious symptoms at all, it is not necessary to begin dialysis now though his creatinine is quite high. Illness cases like his conditions are very common in clinic ands some kidney patients even do not have dialysis treatment until their creatinine is higher than 10.

For your step father, the most important thing at present is to control high creatinine levels, protect his residual kidney functions and slow down the deterioration of his illness conditions.

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