Kidney transplant is safe, be an organ donor, say doctors

A kidney transplant can help you live a longer, healthier life, say doctors.

People who have had a kidney transplant live longer than dialysis patients because dialysis can only do a fraction of what healthy kidneys do for your body. “If you closely follow your doctor’s advice after the transplant surgery, your health may be nearly as good as that of a person with healthy kidneys,” said doctors at Manipal Hospital, Sarjapur Road, on Wednesday.

They were speaking at a panel discussion curated by DH Brandspot on ‘Preparing for Renal Transplant'. Doctors from the hospital educated viewers on how a transplant is done, who can donate, and also talked on the donor’s health.

Dr Pallavi Patri, consultant-chief of nephrology at the hospital, advised getting a health check-up done regularly to pick any underlying issues early, especially if there are familial members with kidney issues and other risk factors for chronic kidney disease (CKD).

“Kidneys don’t just clean the blood of toxins, they maintain the right acid-base balance and help you with blood count. Diabetes is the common reason for kidneys to get damaged. There are underlying genetic reasons for it as well. Kidney disease can be silent and many patients may not even know that they’re developing kidney problems,” she said.

There are both reversible and irreversible forms of kidney disease. When scarring sets in because of CKD, it becomes irreversible. Transplants can be done from living donors or cadaveric donors.

“If you have diabetes or high blood pressure, check for high creatinine levels, and get a urine test done for abnormalities. In certain cases, one may have to undergo a biopsy. Ultrasound scans and CT scans can also give us a fair idea,” she added.

“Kidney transplantation is safe surgery, be an organ donor. For any person who reaches end-stage kidney disease, we recommend them a transplant. Kids, spouses, grandparents come under first degree donors. There should not be any financial exchanges between the donor and the recipient. Once the government committee approves, we can go ahead with the transplant,” said Dr Manohar Bhadrappa, consultant - urology and renal transplant surgeon, at the hospital.

Anyone who is below 65 years of age and is devoid of any chronic illness or cancer, he/she can donate. Also, donors should not be involved in substance abuse. They also should not be on any regular lifetime medication and should be healthy.

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