Kidney Transplant: Risk factors, Diagnosis, and Treatment
Kidneys are a pair of bean-shaped organs situated on the posterior part of the abdominal cavity. The kidneys regulate water and electrolyte balance in the blood. The waste is excreted out as urine after the filtration of blood in the kidney. Kidney transplant or renal transplant is a procedure that is performed at end-stage kidney disease. The kidney is donated either by a living donor who may or may not be genetically related or from a dead donor.
Indications for a kidney transplant:
Kidney transplant is indicated in cases of end kidney diseases irrespective of the primary cause of the kidney damage. The common causes that result in end-stage kidney disease are:
- Diabetes
- Uncontrolled high blood pressure.
- Polycystic kidney disease
- Chronic glomerulonephritis.
- Autoimmune diseases such as lupus.
- Congenital metabolic errors
Kidney transplant is contraindicated for the following people:
- Having heart disease or lung diseases.
- Obese people
- Who smoke tobacco
- In liver disorder
- Cancer Patients
- Taking psychotropic drugs or are indulged in substance abuse.
Pre-operative procedure:
Before the kidney is transplanted, the compatibility of the donor’s kidney must be matched with the recipient’s kidney. Following parameters are generally checked:
- Blood typing- the recipient must have a compatible blood group with the donor. Blood type incompatible kidney transplant is possible but it requires extra medication to reduce the risk of organ rejection.
- Tissue typing– once the organs are blood compatible the human leukocyte antigen, is checked. If these factors match it reduces the chances of organ rejection.
- Crossmatch- this step is the last and final step in which the blood of the donor and the recipient is mixed in the lab to see if they are compatible or not. A negative crossmatch indicates that the kidney is compatible with the recipient, a positive crossmatch indicates that the kidney transplant can be performed but extra medication must be given so that the recipient does not reject the transplanted kidney.
Procedures:
Anesthesia is administered to the patient. Then an incision is made on the lower part of the back. The new kidney is transplanted near the iliac fossa and the blood vessels are connected to the blood vessels of the new kidney is attached to the lower part of the abdomen. The blood vessels that supply blood to the lower extremities. The old kidneys are removed only if the kidney is causing problems like hypertension, kidney stones, infection, and pain. The new kidney’s ureter is connected to the urinary bladder.
Post-operative care:
After the surgery, the patient is shifted to the ICU where they are kept for 2-3 days. Then they are shifted to the transplant recovery area where the patient is monitored for the next 4-5 days. Once the patient is discharged he is advised:
- Visit the doctor often for Post-operative follow-ups.
- Take medicines regularly.
- Consult a dietician for a balanced diet post-surgery.
- Avoid grapefruit
- Consume healthy protein
- Exercise regularly