Nephrology is the medical specialty concerned with the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of kidney disease.

The kidneys (the body has two) filter around 200 liters of blood plasma every day. They excrete toxins and metabolic wastes in the urine, then return the substances necessary for the proper functioning of the body to the blood. To image, let’s say that they play the role of a purification plant which filters the wastewater of a city. 

Many pathologies require consultation with a nephrologist. These include:

• a renal failure acute or chronic;
• of the renal colic ;
• proteinuria (presence of protein in the urine);
• hematuria (presence of blood in the urine);
• nephritic syndrome;
• glomerulonephritis;
• or repeated urinary tract infections.

Some people are at greater risk for kidney disease. Here are some factors known to increase risk:

• diabetes ;
• high blood pressure ;
• smoking;
• or obesity (3).

The nephrologist is the kidney specialist. He works in the hospital and is in charge of the medical aspect, but not the surgical one (it is the urologist who performs the surgical operations on the kidneys or the urinary tract). For this, he performs numerous medical procedures:

• first he questions his patient, in particular to obtain information on any family or medical history;
• he performs a rigorous clinical examination;
• he may perform or order examinations, such as an ultrasound of the kidneys and urinary tract, a CT scan, a renal scintigraphy, a renal biopsy, an angiogram;
• he follows dialysis patients, takes care of the post-operative consequences of a kidney transplant;
• he also prescribes drug treatments, and offers dietary advice.

The consultation with a nephrologist does not involve any particular risks for the patient.

Training to become a nephrologist in France

To become a nephrologist, the student must obtain a diploma of specialized studies (DES) in nephrology:

• after his baccalaureate, he must first follow 6 years at the faculty of medicine;
• at the end of the 6th year, students take the national classifying tests to enter the boarding school. Depending on their classification, they will be able to choose their specialty and their place of practice. The internship in nephrology lasts 4 years and ends with obtaining the DES in nephrology.

Finally, to be able to practice as a nephrologist and carry the title of doctor, the student must also defend a research thesis.

Training to become a nephrologist in Quebec

After college studies, the student must:

• follow a doctorate in medicine, lasting 1 or 4 years (with or without a preparatory year for medicine for students admitted with a college or university training deemed insufficient in basic biological sciences);
• then specialize by following 3 years of internal medicine and 2 years of residency in nephrology.

Prepare the visit

Before going to the appointment with a nephrologist, it is important to take recent prescriptions, any x-rays, scans or even MRIs performed.

To find a nephrologist:

• in Quebec, you can consult the “Quebec Médecin” website (4);
• in France, via the website of the Ordre des médecins (5).

When the consultation with the nephrologist is prescribed by an attending physician, it is covered by the Health Insurance (France) or the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec.