Kidney Transplant: What You Need to Know
Kidneys are essential organs that perform major functions such as Filtering the blood to remove toxic waste products from the body, regulating blood pressure, and Stimulation of production of red blood cells (RBC).
When the kidneys stop performing these functions, harmful fluid and waste accumulate in the body that can elevate blood pressure and lead to kidney disease. Due to kidney disease, some patients may need to remove waste from their blood through a machine known as dialysis or opt for a kidney transplant to lead a long and healthy life. A kidney transplant can free you from long-term dependence on a dialysis machine and help you lead a more active life.
If the symptoms of kidney failure have reached the stage that dialysis or transplant is needed, then you will be better off opting for a transplant. It will be better if your kidney donor is alive and can be your family members such as parents, siblings, husband, and wife. The kidney of a living or blood relative will prove to be very good for your future as compared to the kidney of a deceased donor.
What are the benefits of a kidney transplant?
Patients with kidney failure can also choose to undergo dialysis, however, compared to dialysis, a kidney transplant has the following advantages.
- Kidney transplantation is a better option than dialysis for patients.
- After a kidney transplant, the quality of life is better.
- Now you do not have to make frequent visits to the dialysis center to get the treatment and you are free from prolonged dependence on the dialysis machine.
- Kidney transplantation lowers the cost of treatment due to the continuous process of dialysis, which reduces when kidney function is stable after transplant surgery.
- Dietary restrictions are greater in patients on dialysis and fewer dietary restrictions after transplant.
- The risk of death is reduced.
Success rate
A kidney transplant is a complex and important surgery. No such surgery has a 100% success rate. Whereas if seen immediately after surgery, the success rate is much higher, from 98-99%. The one-year success rate of kidney transplant surgery also depends on whether your kidney donor was alive or dead. If the donor is alive, the surgery will have a 90-95% success rate; if the donor is dead, the success rate will be 85-90%.
Your life expectancy will be the same as that of normal people who have normal kidneys. Also, after giving the kidney, one has to be in touch with the kidney specialist (nephrologist) and keep checking his kidney function at the scheduled time.
Learn how to live well with kidney disease and thrive from our Kidney Specialist in Gurgaon. Visit the Mayom Hospital and talk to the Best Nephrologists in Gurgaon for more details on kidney transplants.