Dr. Narasimhaiah K

A kidney transplant is a procedure that employs an operation to transplant properly functioning kidney in the body. The main job of the kidneys is to remove the excess waste from a person’s body with the help of a filtration process. When the kidneys stop filtering the toxins properly, they become diseased and harmful waste products and toxins begin to accumulate in the body. Following this, the patient has to go through treatment measures like hemo dialysis or kidney transplant.

Read on to know the five things you should keep in mind about a kidney transplant.

1. Treatment: Transplant is one of the best ways to treat chronic kidney disease stage-V, until unless it is contraindicated. Life becomes near normal after transplant as dialysis stops and person can go back to job. Though there is a possibility of rejection of transplant kidney. Patient has to take immunosuppressive medication life long.
2. Medication: Medications are mainly for:
   1. To prevent rejection: Patient takes special immunosuppressive medications life long like steroids, tacrolimus, mycophenolate.
   2. Prevention of infection: Stay away from a person suffering of cough, cold, fever, skin rash. Alternatively you can use face mask.
   3. Other medication: To control diabetes, Hypertension etc.
3. Family Only: The donors are from family or emotionally related (Spouse) or cadavers deceased donor (after brain stem death). HLA-matched donors are better because of less chances of rejections and faster reduction of immunosuppressive.
4. Doing Your Part: Once transplant is done patient becomes normal and he/she lives a normal life. However, they have to take regular medications and to protect themselves from various infection.
5. Need for Kidney Transplant in End Stage Renal Diseases: These diseases includes diabetes mellitus, Hypertension, polycystic kidney disease, chronic glomerulonephritis or interstitial nephritis etc. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a Nephrologist.