Nephrology & Hypertension

The Division of Nephrology and Hypertension exists to provide medical care to the people of North Carolina; to serve as a referral center for patients from throughout the United States and worldwide; to educate medical school undergraduates, residents and fellows in the subspecialty of Nephrology; and to advance scholarly research and laboratory and clinical investigations in the health sciences.

The incidence of end-stage renal disease in the US in 2004 was 339 per million. The number of incident patients has grown 153% since 1988. The burden of chronic kidney disease includes over 19 million Americans, or 11% of the population, currently suffering with the disease. Over the duration of the disease many of these people will experience adverse events such as cardiovascular disease, congestive heart failure, and premature death. Those who survive the comorbidities associated with CKD will eventually develop end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) and require treatment with dialysis or kidney transplantation.

Long-term care of patients with kidney disease and hypertension requires interaction of all members of the health care team. Care is provided in 8 outpatient clinics located at UNC hospital in Chapel Hill, NC:

• Adult Nephrology
• Pediatric Nephrology
• Transplant
• Anemia
• Glomerular Disease
• Lupus
• Hypertension
• Sanford Specialty Clinics

The division also sees dialysis patients at six community based dialysis units: Burlington (2 units), Carrboro, Sanford, Siler City, and Pittsboro. The division provides a significant patient referral base to the departments of Transplant and Vascular Surgery, Diagnostic, Nuclear and Vascular Radiology, and the divisions of Rheumatology and Urology; the revenue stream generated by new patients brought into the UNC Health Care System by this division is an important source of support for these organizations.

For more information on our dialysis units, click HERE
For more information on our outpatient clinics, click HERE
Research activities include long-term clinical treatment trials, as well as basic research that encompasses several geographically separate laboratories. Research is funded by federal agencies and pharmaceutical and research companies covering a wide range of areas related to kidney disease:

• Chronic and Acute Renal Failure
• Glomerular Disease
• Vascular Inflammation
• Sickle Cell Nephropathy
• Epidemiology
• Transplantation
• Renal Metabolism
• Diabetic Nephropathy
• Lupus Nephritis