We are excited to introduce our newest physician, Dr. Sulaiman Sultan to the Renal Care team. Dr. Sultan will be at the Bloomington, Morton and Pontiac office locations and practicing at the local hospitals listed below. To learn more about Dr. Sultan's background, visit his physician page. Carle BroMenn Medical CenterGalesburg Cottage HospitalIVCH...

HIMSS Analytics announced that RenalCare Associates (IKDHC) has achieved Stage 6 on the EMR Adoption ModelSM (EMRAM). HIMSS Analytics developed the EMR Adoption Model in 2005 as a methodology for evaluating the progress and impact of electronic medical record systems for hospitals in the HIMSS Analytics™ Database. Tracking their progress in complet...

The OSF Hypertension Center through RenalCare Associates has been awarded the American Heart Association's Hypertension Practice Center Certification to recognize the practice's commitment to following research-based-treatment guidelines to care for people with complex or difficult-to-treat hypertension, or high blood pressure. Certified practices ...

Since hypertension can develop slowly without symptoms, it can cause serious organ damage. In fact, even slight increases in blood pressure have been known to cause kidney and heart damage. Severe high blood pressure may result in headaches, visual disturbances, nausea and vomiting (hypertensive crisis). This happens when blood pressure rises too rapidly. If untreated, hypertension can damage major organs like the brain, heart, eyes, kidneys or liver.

Although surgery is seldom a person's first choice for treatment, it may be the best choice to enable the highest quality of life. Whether you suffer from chronic kidney disease, hypertension or any of their related problems, our staff can explore all your options to determine the best choice for your health, lifestyle and preferences.

Nephrology refers to the field related to medical conditions of the kidney like chronic kidney disease. Our nephrologists treat people with a variety of kidney diseases, including those who have lost function or who must rely on dialysis or a kidney transplant.

When an individual's kidneys fail, three treatments are available: hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis and kidney transplantation. Many people feel that a successful kidney transplant will provide a better quality of life because it allows greater freedom, increased energy levels, and a less restricted diet.

Renal means "of the kidneys," so renal disease is simply a disease of the kidneys. 

Designed to improve the care of nephrology patients, interventional nephrology is a subspecialty that encourages the proper application of new and existing procedures. These procedures may include, but are not limited to, the insertion of tunneled hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis catheters, endovascular procedures, and diagnostic sonography.

Ionized molecules found in blood, tissues and cells throughout the body, electrolytes are either positive or negative. They conduct electric current and help to balance the body's pH and acid-base levels. Electrolytes also enable fluid to pass between and within cells by osmosis and play a part in regulating the functions of the neuromuscular, endocrine and excretory systems.

A treatment that does some of the things done by healthy kidneys, dialysis is needed when your kidneys can no longer take care of your body's needs. Although many people don't need the full 100 percent of their kidneys' abilities, serious health problems result when they have less than 25 percent renal function. (Learn more, too, by watching these videos and writing down your questions before your appointment.)

According to the American Stroke Association, someone in America has a stroke every 45 seconds, and every three minutes, someone dies from one. Those are staggering statistics. High blood pressure increases the chance of a stroke occurring.

As many as 8 to 12 million Americans have peripheral artery disease (PAD). Three out of four don't even have symptoms and mistake what signs they do have for something else. Occurring in both men and women, PAD's most common symptom is cramping, pain or tiredness in the leg or hip muscles while walking or climbing stairs. Women are less likely to experience symptoms.

Since hypertension can develop slowly without symptoms, it can cause serious organ damage. In fact, even slight increases in blood pressure have been known to cause kidney and heart damage. Severe high blood pressure may result in headaches, visual disturbances, nausea and vomiting (hypertensive crisis). This happens when blood pressure rises too rapidly. If untreated, hypertension can damage major organs like the brain, heart, eyes, kidneys or liver.

Your kidneys filter wastes from your blood and regulate other functions of your body. When they are not working properly, your body cannot clean your blood and remove excess fluids, minerals and wastes. This, in turn, can also affect hormones that keep your bones strong and your blood healthy. When kidneys lose their filtering ability, harmful wastes build up, blood pressure rises and the body retains excess fluid, resulting in a condition known as kidney (renal) failure.

When the blood supply to part of the heart muscle (myocardium) is severely reduced or stopped, a heart attack occurs, i.e., a myocardial infarction. This reduction or stoppage happens when one or more of the coronary arteries supplying blood to the myocardium is blocked and is usually caused by the buildup of plaque (fat-like deposits) or atherosclerosis.

It's great to get your blood pressure checked frequently by your physician, but if you have a problem with hypertension, you may want to check it more frequently on your own... or if you suspect you have high blood pressure, you can check it yourself too.