Nephrology Centre

Nephrology Centre

About Us

Nephrology Centre Tthe Nephrology Centre offers specialised treatment for renal diseases, including chronic kidney disease, acute renal failure, glomerulonephritis, diabetic nephropathy, dialysis and kidney transplantation.

Our Services

With an utmost goal to allow early detection, prevention and intervention of kidney diseases, the Centre provides quality assessment to the community. The old saying "Prevention is better than cure" is especially applicable in Nephrology as kidney diseases are usually asymptomatic and insidious in onset in most patients. As soon as one is aware of any detectable symptoms, the disease may have already reached an advanced stage with a lower chance of full recovery. While chronic kidney diseases may be irreversible, with early detection, effective measures can be taken to restore kidney functions or slow down disease progression.

The screening procedure consists of a number of common and simple tests, i.e. blood pressure examination, blood, urine and protein tests, which only take about 15 minutes in total. In case of abnormality, further tests on such indicators as the 24-hour protein excretion and glomerular filtration rate are conducted to assess the excretory and filtering capacity of the kidneys. Immunological and infective causes will be screened appropriately. If one is diagnosed of renal disease at an earlier stage, one's conditions can be stabilised and prevented from deterioration with diet arrangements, i.e. low salt, low protein and low sugar and with selectivity medication. All of these highlight the importance of regular renal assessment, starting from a young age in order to prevent the development of chronic kidney failure.

Individualised treatments are delivered to patients with renal diseases of different stages. For primary stage, dietary control is recommended to return the salt and protein levels in blood to normal. In case of edema due to protein loss in urine and the resulting high blood lipid level (enhancing risk of thrombosis and cardiovascular death), proper medications are prescribed to address the protein loss and the clotting problems.

The Centre also supports clinical services targeting certain systemic diseases, which, if left unattended, may give rise to kidney failure. Diabetic nephropathy is increasing at an alarming rate of growing concerns worldwide. It accounts for 50% of terminal kidney failure in Hong Kong in the last decade. Autoimmune diseases like systemic lupus erythematosus may lead to lupus nephritis with a noticeably high mortality. New treatment is available to allow better disease control and improve quality of care. Chronic viral infections, including hepatitis B and hepatitis C, may also lead to kidney disease presenting in diverse clinical manifestations.

Pregnancy-related kidney disorders are not infrequently detected during the second and third trimester of pregnancy due to high demand on the circulatory system and kidney function. Symptoms include swelling in the legs, protein loss in the urine and high blood pressure. With the safety of both mother and fetus as the overriding concern, proactive treatment with appropriate medication is indicated.

Another kidney problem of emerging importance is drug-related kidney failure, not uncommon with antibiotics. Another example is cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy or targeted therapy. Acute renal failure may arise from the tumour lysis syndrome (breakdown of tumour tissue protein leading to blocking the kidney tubules) and side-effects of chemotherapeutic agents especially those containing platinium. These disorders are preventable and treatable.

Other interventional procedures such as kidney biopsy, kidney stone removal, correction of kidney artery narrowing are also conducted at the Centre in collaboration with urologists and radiologists.

While dialysis and renal transplantation are often the last resort when the kidneys fail, these treatment modalities must still be tailor-made individually to attend to the patient's need and suitability. For example, haemodialysis using special hemofilter may be needed for patients with kidney bone disease. Peritoneal dialysis offers a better haemodynamic stability for patients with heart disease. Extremely cautious anti-rejection treatment is prescribed to elderly with kidney transplant. Corticosteroid-sparing anti-rejection regime will be applied to diabetic patients with kidney transplant.

With an experienced team of nephrology specialist and nursing staff, the Nephrology Centre is working hand in hand with other departments, providing multi-disciplinary and quality medical service to the community.

Contact Us
For enquiries and appointments, please contact us at:
 
Nephrology Centre
Address:10/F, Li Shu Pui Block
Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital
2 Village Road, Happy Valley, Hong Kong
Tel: 2835 7084
Fax:2892 7513
Email:nephrology@hksh-hospital.com
Whatsapp:2835 7084 (For non-emergency cases)
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Service Hours
Monday to Friday: 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Saturday:8:00 am - 1:00 pm
Closed on Sundays and Public Holidays