History of Peritoneal Dialysis
Peritoneal dialysis – from the beginning to the present
When symptoms of uremia first appear in the body, it is a sign that the kidneys are not functioning properly or have stopped filtering toxins from the blood. The Greek origin of the word “uremia” shows that the awareness of this disease goes back much further than our ability to effectively treat people this life-threatening illness. Only within the last hundred years medical research has been able to lay the fundament for replacing the kidneys’ functions through dialysis.
Essentially, there are two types of dialysis: hemodialysis, which is the preferred treatment for 90% of all dialysis patients, and peritoneal dialysis. Last year we reported in detail about hemodialysis, a procedure where toxins are filtered from the blood of patients with kidney failure in an extracorporeal procedure, or a procedure outside the body. This DIALYSIS COMPACT supplement covers the field of peritoneal dialysis. This home dialysis treatment method uses the peritoneum as a dialysis membrane.
The first progress with this treatment type was made during the 1920s, but it would take a number of subsequent discoveries in the following decades to make peritoneal dialysis accessible for a larger number of patients with kidney disease. These advances were achieved by dedicated doctors and scientists whose efforts and discoveries led to ever-improving treatment possibilities.
On the following pages, we offer an introduction to the fascinating history of peritoneal dialysis and the discoveries which, to this day, help to ensure a longer and better life for more than 160,000 peritoneal dialysis patients worldwide.
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