In the episode "Triple Kidney Transplant," Alex Pratt is about to have his second kidney transplant in one of the most unusual surgical approaches to date. He will be one of three patients to have the procedure at the exact same time, in the same hospital, in a donor and kidney swap. Learn more about kidney disease.

What is kidney disease?
Chronic kidney disease includes conditions that damage the kidneys, a pair of bean-shaped organs situated behind the intestines, near the spinal column, that excrete metabolic waste products. Kidney disease can cause these waste products to build to high levels in the blood, and those affected by it can develop high blood pressure, anemia, nerve damage and other disorders. It often causes heart disease, and it can be brought on by diabetes. Early detection and treatment can often keep chronic kidney disease from getting worse. As kidney disease progresses, it may eventually lead to kidney failure, which requires dialysis or transplantation to maintain life.

Signs and Symptoms
Some people with kidney disease have no symptoms. Those that do have symptoms can experience a variety of things, such as fatigue, headache, swelling of the hands and feet, or frequent urination.

Diagnosis and Treatment
Kidney disease is diagnosed with blood tests, urine tests, ultrasound or CT scan, and in some cases a biopsy. Kidney disease is treated in a number of ways, including transplantation, but only people who have complete and irreversible kidney failure are candidates for this procedure. The donor kidney can either come from someone who has died (formerly called a "cadaveric" donation) or from a living donor, often a blood relative. Before the transplant, the patient's kidney function is usually handled artificially by a dialysis machine or else a prior kidney transplant has failed. There is no guarantee transplantation will be successful and complications after surgery can and do occur.