Living with End Stage Renal Disease-Kidney Transplant is the Answer

ESRD i.e. End Stage Renal Disease is caused most commonly by diabetes and high blood pressure. All these circumstances affect the kidney. ESRD occurs after a chronic kidney illness. Before ESRD starts the kidneys gradually stop working during a period of 10 to 20 years. ESRD is a prevailing medical problem in society. It should be treated with utmost care and attention otherwise it can prove to be fatal.

In such cases, a kidney transplant is the only solution. The average cost of a kidney transplant in India is between 7 to 10 lakhs. This amount includes pre-transplant evaluation, the surgery and the post-transplant healing period. After one year of living with a donated kidney, the success rate of kidney transplantation is 90-95%. If one is able to survive the first year then it is suggested that the kidneys will function for a longer period. Your health and energy levels will improve after the surgery. In most cases life after kidney transplantation is like how you used to live before you got your kidney disease. According to people with kidney dialysis, transplanted kidneys live a longer and healthier life than people on dialysis.

Kidney transplantation is a very effective treatment when one suffers from kidney failure. In this method, the obsolete kidney is replaced with a healthy kidney from the donor. In our country kidney transplantation is dishonored because of various myths. Some myths and facts about kidney transplantation are as follows:

a. Myth: Kidney transplantation is costlier than dialysis.
Fact: You have to continue dialysis throughout your life. But comparing the cost of frequent dialysis with –time kidney transplant then kidney transplantation seems like the better option.
b. Myth: Anyone can donate a kidney
Fact: Only family members can donate a kidney. A kidney cadaver doner requires a period of waiting time.
c. Myth: Kidney transplant fails in most cases
Fact: The success rate of kidney transplantation is as high as 95% as mentioned above.  In recent times with advanced technology, the failure of kidney transplantation is almost nil.
d. Myth: Kidney transplantation is followed by extreme weakness
Fact: Healthy diet and proper care will help you to regain your lost strength in no time
e. Myth: One cannot get pregnant after her kidney transplant
Fact: Transplantation of the kidney does not affect any other organ or function of your body. You can very well conceive even after kidney transplantation.
f. Myth: Transplantation will not allow any other kidney disease to occur
Fact: Only a proper diet, healthy lifestyle and regular exercise can keep kidney disease or any other disease at bay.

Transplants are required in patients with chronic kidney disease or acute kidney injury or basically a person who is suffering from ESRD. The need for a kidney transplant arises when the kidneys fail to effectively filter waste products from the blood. In such cases, dialysis cannot be a long-term solution. Some of the best kidney transplantation hospitals are  Medanta-The Medicity (Gurgaon), Indraprastha Apollo Hospital (New Delhi), Apollo Hospitals (Greams Road, Chennai), Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital (Mumbai) , Artemis Hospital (Gurgaon)  and there are several others. You can consult a kidney transplant specialist in India personally as well as through teleconsultation. In recent times teleconsultation has become increasingly popular as using this method you can save your time, money and also you can avoid long waiting hours. With this new method, you can consult any doctor from any location and get the best treatment plan for yourself.

Prevention is always better than cure. You can prevent any chronic kidney disease by following the conditions given below:

• You should make healthy food choices and avoid junk food 
• Physical activity should be part of your daily routine
• Keep your weight under control
• Get regular eight hours of sleep
• Try to keep yourself stress-free
• Keep smoking and alcohol intake under control
• Keep diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure and other heart diseases under control
• Limit eating of protein and have a balanced-diet of nutrition and low-sodium foods
• Avoid using products made of tobacco

Summary:

One of the first organ transplant procedures that ever developed was a kidney transplant. This was possible because of the availability of live donors and dialysis was present as the backup. The ideal treatment for ESRD in most patients is kidney transplantation. A transplant from living kidney donors rather than from a cadaver is strongly recommended. Negligence to ESRD can lead to fatal consequences, so such cases should be given special attention. Graft survival after transplantation in children is excellent.