If you have been referred for a kidney transplant, it is because your kidneys have ceased to function properly. The reasons for kidney failure are varied, and can include injury, poisoning, or damage caused by diabetes, high blood pressure or inherited kidney diseases. Most often, both kidneys fail at the same time, requiring you to have dialysis to perform the kidney's blood-cleansing duties. A kidney transplant will eliminate the need for dialysis provided your new kidney continues to function.

For a better understanding of how the kidneys function and the causes of failure, please see Your Kidneys and How They Function, a publication of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), part of the National Institutes of Health. Another booklet by the NIDDK, Kidney Failure: Choosing a Treatment That's Right for You explores the various options for patients with kidney failure.

Information is also available in our health information section under acute renal failure, nephrotic syndrome and diabetes, type 1.

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