MultiCare Rockwood Kidney & Hypertension Center - Main Clinic

The MultiCare Rockwood Kidney and Hypertension Center offers medical treatment of kidney disease and high blood pressure (hypertension), including the use of dialysis and transplantation to treat patients with advanced, end-stage kidney failure.

Established in 1959, nephrology — the medical specialty the deals with the physiology and diseases of the kidneys — is one of the oldest medical specialties with continuous representation at MultiCare Rockwood Clinic.

Our specialists provide care to more than 300 dialysis patients and more than 400 patients who have received a kidney transplant. They also treat patients with difficult-to-control high blood pressure occurring in special situations, such as pregnancy.

Kidney failure is most commonly caused by diabetes and high blood pressure. Diseases of the circulation, often due to cigarette smoking, are also major causes of chronic kidney disease. Lupus and other diseases of the immune system, environmental toxins (lead, overuse of some pain medications) and hereditary kidney diseases also produce kidney disease requiring the expertise of nephrologists. Once kidney function is reduced to an advanced degree (end-stage kidney failure), life can be maintained through dialysis, or kidney function can be restored with a successful kidney transplant.

Untreated, chronic kidney disease often involves the slow, progressive destruction of kidney function. However, modern aggressive treatments as prescribed and managed by nephrologists are effective in slowing or completely stopping this decline in kidney function.