Kidney Transplantation
Kidney transplantation is one of the important surgical procedures to save the lives of people suffering from severe kidney failure. The main function of the kidneys is to purify the body from excess toxins, and if the kidney is unable to perform its primary function, it can lead to various health problems, as toxins and harmful fluids accumulate in the body and are not excreted due to kidney failure, resulting in kidney failure and the necessity of kidney transplantation.
Symptoms Experienced by Kidney Patients
- Constant fatigue and mental and physical exhaustion.
- Difficulty breathing.
- Sexual weakness.
- Loss of appetite and lack of desire to eat.
- Frequent urination, especially at night.
- Suffering from anemia or high blood pressure with peripheral nerve inflammation.
Reasons for Kidney Transplantation
- Diabetes.
- Chronic kidney tubular inflammation.
- Chronic hypertension that cannot be controlled.
- Polycystic kidney disease.
- End-stage kidney disease.
Conditions for Kidney Donation
- The person must be a relative or close friend of the patient.
- Both kidneys must function properly so that donating one does not affect the function of the other kidney.
- Both the donor and the recipient must undergo some medical tests to ensure tissue and blood compatibility.
- The donor should not suffer from cancer or immune deficiency diseases.
Conditions for Kidney Recipients
- The patient must have end-stage kidney failure.
- The patient should not suffer from cancer or be infected with diseases that are difficult to control, or have AIDS.
- The patient should not suffer from kidney failure or immune deficiency diseases.
Contraindications for Kidney Transplantation
- Patients with severe heart weakness or severe blockage in the heart arteries.
- People suffering from bacterial or viral infections.
- Patients with cancer or those who have recovered from cancer and are in the recovery stage.
- Psychiatric patients who are difficult to control.
- Drug addicts.
- People suffering from any immune disease that may lead to failure of the transplanted kidney.
Risks of Kidney Transplantation
- Risks associated with surgical procedures, such as bleeding, infection, or blood clots.
- Exposure to urinary tract infections.
- Possibility of developing diabetes in the long term.
- Development of high blood pressure.
- Increased risk of infectious diseases or tumors due to immune-suppressing drugs taken by the patient to prevent rejection of the new kidney.
Reasons for Kidney Rejection by the Body
Kidney rejection by the donor occurs in 8 to 10% of cases in the first year, due to irregular medication intake, mismatched blood between the donor and the kidney recipient, or different antibodies in the tissues between the recipient and the donor.
Success Rate of Kidney Transplantation
Kidney transplantation has spread widely worldwide, and the success rate of kidney transplantation is high, reaching 95% if the donor is alive and a relative of the patient. If the donor is deceased, the success rate is around 80%.