Videos on Chronic Kidney Disease

Healthy kidneys play an essential role in your overall health by filtering your blood and removing wastes and excess fluids from your body. Symptoms of chronic kidney failure are often silent, meaning you may not know there is a problem with your kidneys until they are close to failure. Here, John Roberts, MD, a nephrologist at Duke Health, talks about what you can do to keep your kidneys healthy, who should get screened for chronic kidney disease, and options for treatment.

People with kidney failure might believe that their best -- and perhaps only -- treatment option is dialysis. But Duke kidney transplant specialist John Roberts, MD, wants you to know that there is an alternative. A kidney transplant provides a longer and better quality of life than dialysis, and it can be a reality for most people with kidney failure. “I want people to think about what will give them not only the longest life, but the best life.”

If you are suffering from chronic kidney disease or are at risk for developing the condition, making a few lifestyle changes can help you preserve your current kidney function. Here, Crystal Tyson, MD, a nephrologist at Duke Health, explains explains how managing diabetes and high blood pressure and making other healthy choices can ward off or slow the progression of this deadly disease.

Duke Health clinical trials may provide access to new ways of treating kidney disease before they are available to the public. To learn more and to find out of you are eligible to participate, visit the Duke Health clinical trials directory.

As a survivor of kidney cancer, Adrienna Maisonet Morales understands that life is a gift. That why she does everything she can to stay healthy. Her Duke nephrologist, Crystal Tyson, MD, is right beside her to help. Together, they carefully manage her diet, daily activities, stress levels, water intake, and more to keep her kidneys in top condition. Here, she and Dr. Tyson talk about the journey and how they successfully overcame obstacles along the way.

At the Duke Kidney Transplant Center, our team of experts takes an individualized approach to surgery for every patient. We have performed thousands of complex kidney transplants, from multi-organ transplants to transplants on people turned down at other centers, and we offer living donor, deceased donor, paired donor, and HIV-positive transplants. Here Dr. John Roberts, a transplant specialist at Duke Health, along with other Duke kidney transplant providers and patients, talks about options for kidney transplant, the transplant process, specialized care for transplant patients, and more.

When Kat Williams learned that she needed a kidney transplant, she didn't know where to turn. Thanks to friends and family who reached out to potential organ donors on her behalf, her kidney donor, Pat Gearity, and the kidney transplant team at Duke Health, she is now living a healthy life. Here, Williams and Gearity talk about their transplant journey -- from kidney failure to life after a successful transplant -- with the hope of inspiring others to consider living organ donation.