Dialysis or Kidney Transplantation is carried out in case of chronic kidney failure (CKD) (also called kidney/renal failure), stage 5 CKD, and end-stage kidney (or renal) disease.
A kidney transplant cost in India is comparatively low and between USD 10,000 to USD 14,000. The pricing includes a total stay in India, medical tests, accommodation, etc.
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What is Dialysis?
When the kidneys stop functioning properly, dialysis eliminates excess fluid and waste products from the blood. This process involves redirecting the blood to a machine, which cleans it.
Normally, the kidneys filter the blood, remove harmful waste products and excess fluid, and convert them into urine to be expelled from the body.
Types of Dialysis
- Hemodialysis is ongoing dialysis, typically performed 3 to 5 times weekly at the dialysis center. The access point for hemodialysis is located in your arm.
- Peritoneal dialysis is a daily process that helps remove waste from your blood. It is performed by washing the peritoneal cavity in your abdomen and can be done conveniently from the comfort of your home. The access point for this treatment is located in your abdomen.
For ongoing or chronic dialysis, you may have hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis. With hemodialysis, you will initially receive a temporary catheter that can be used for up to 90 days. After that, it must be replaced to lower the risk of infection. Once permanent access is established, you can remove the temporary catheter.
What is a Kidney Transplant?
A kidney transplant is a surgical procedure to replace a diseased kidney with a healthy one from another person. The kidney may come from a deceased organ donor or a living donor. Family members or individuals who are unrelated but make a good match may be able to donate one of their kidneys. Individuals who donate a kidney can live healthy lives with the remaining kidney.
Watch the successful story of 10-year-old boy from Sudan who received kidney transplant surgery in India.
What are the Three Types of Kidney Transplants?
- Deceased Donor Transplant: This refers to a person who has suffered either brain or cardiac death, but at least one of their organs has been recovered for transplantation.
- Expanded Criteria Donor (ECD) Transplant: An ECD kidney may be recommended to patients over age 60 or those with a history of diabetes over 50. The waiting time for an ECD kidney may be shorter.
- Living Donor Transplant: Living donors may be blood relatives or individuals who donate an organ for transplantation. Finding a living donor match shortens your waiting time, increases long-term transplant kidney and patient survival, and allows you to schedule your surgery date.
Dialysis or Kidney Transplantation - Which one is Required?
When the pair of kidneys stop working effectively, waste products and other fluidal plaque build up in the blood. In such cases, dialysis is the treatment to be done before the kidneys move forward toward the point where severe complications may occur.
If the kidney disease is advanced, the specialist may recommend going for dialysis while the patient is still in good condition and may only show mild symptoms of kidney failure. Such symptoms are nausea, vomiting, difficulty concentrating, etc.
Do you Need a Kidney Transplant after Dialysis?
Kidney transplantation is recommended in case of severe kidney failure to offer a better quality of life in people as compared to the ones treated with dialysis. A kidney can be transplanted from a friend, spouse, relative, or deceased one. However, organs transplanted from the living ones work better than those from the deceased. The donor has to undergo several tests before getting ready for transplantation to ensure that he should be healthy, fit, and active.
People suffering from end-stage kidney disease or kidney failure may benefit from getting a kidney transplant instead of living on dialysis. Kidney transplantation offers an overall better quality of life and helps avoid side effects of dialysis.
What are the Causes of End-stage Kidney Disease?
Some of the common causes are:
- High Blood Pressure (Hypertension): The increase in blood pressure directly affects the kidneys leading to chronic damage.
- Glomerulonephritis: Inflamed blood vessels and nephrons result in slow damage and scarring. It mostly happens in patients with autoimmune diseases like lupus and ANCA vasculitis, in which the immune system considers the kidney a foreign body and attacks it.
- Renal Artery Stenosis: This means clogged arteries that bring blood to the kidneys over time.
- Polycystic Kidney Disease: When large cysts or hollow spaces occur within the kidneys, making them dysfunctional.
- Diabetes: Diabetes is a slow death that contributes to kidney failure in people across different parts of the world. High blood sugar for a long slowly damages the filters in the kidneys. It results in chronic kidney disease, called diabetic nephropathy, progressing over time, leading to end-stage kidney failure.
- Congenital Problems: The congenital disabilities present since birth; before one knows about it, the kidneys already lose over 90% of their functional ability.
Conclusion
Choosing the right doctor who has performed the maximum number of successful transplantations increases the chances of leading a healthy life. The patient has to intake the prescribed immunosuppressants and take proper follow-up care to avoid organ rejection.
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