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Kidney
Transplant Programme
Sri
Gokulam
Hospital
has pioneered yet another service which existed only in major
cities of the state. With Government permission it has started
the Kidney Transplant Programme.
First of all
we should know what kidneys do. The Kidneys filter the blood and
remove waste products and fluid which is called urine. The
kidneys balance the potassium and sodium levels and also produce
several hormones. When patients are diagnosed to have renal
failure, it means these kidneys are not filtering properly and
harmful waste products are accumulating in the blood. The
physician can tell this by checking the creatinine level in the
blood.
What causes
renal failure?
Some of the most common causes are diabetes, high blood pressure
(hypertension), infections, drugs and polycystic kidney disease.
Some of the
features of chronic kidney disease are:
·
Leg swelling,
difficulty in breathing
·
Morning
sickness, nausea and vomiting
·
Weakness,
pallor and anemia
·
Increased
need to urinate, especially at right
·
High blood
pressure, headache, visual disturbances
·
Less need for
insulin or anti – diabetic pills.
·
Itching
·
Protein in
the urine
·
Abnormal
blood test, such as a rise in Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN) and
creatinine
What is the
treatment for kidney failure?
Two treatment
options are available: Dialysis and Transplantation.
What is
kidney transplantation?
Transplantation is the surgical implantation of a human kidney
in the Recipient. The donor kidney may come from a cadaver or
from a living donor. A living donor may not be a blood relative
of the recipient.
What are the
advantages of kidney transplantation?
Transplantation offers several advantages over dialysis.
·
No rigid
schedules or large time commitments required each week for
treatment. Hemodialysis takes four to five hours three times per
week, not including time spent commuting to and from the
dialysis center or waiting for an available machine.
·
Dialysis
patients require regular injections of Erythropoitin. The
transplanted kidney produces this substance naturally.
·
No dependency
upon a machine or equipment
·
A more normal
active lifestyle than dialysis
Prevention
Treatment
involves controlling the disease and slowing its progression to
irreversible kidney failure. Some of the treatments that may be
effective are:
·
Controlling
high blood pressure
·
Controlling
blood sugar levels
·
Reducing
dietary protein intake
·
Avoiding
medications that may damage the kidneys.
·
Treating
urinary track infections.
·
Exercise and
weight control ( under the supervision pf a physician)
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