Kidney Transplant

MedicalTours.Care specializes in connecting Nigerian patients with world-class facilities to provide quality kidney transplant treatment at affordable prices due to limited resources and infrastructure in Nigeria.

The kidneys are vital organs responsible for filtering blood, regulating electrolyte balance, and controlling blood pressure. Kidney diseases come in two main types: acute and chronic. Acute kidney disease involves a sudden loss of kidney function, while chronic kidney disease is a gradual degeneration of kidney function over time. There is a growing prevalence of chronic kidney diseases according to research.

Factors increasing kidney disease risk in Nigeria include:

• Diabetes: Poorly controlled type 1 or type 2 diabetes damages kidney blood vessels, affecting their ability to filter blood properly.
• Hypertension: Uncontrolled high blood pressure damages renal blood vessels, reducing blood flow to the kidneys and impairing their function.
• Obesity: Obesity is associated with microalbuminuria, which can lead to diabetic nephropathy.
• Analgesic Addiction and Herbal Remedies: Excessive use of painkillers like aspirin and consumption of impure herbal remedies can cause kidney damage.

How Your Kidneys Are Checked

Two tests are used to check for kidney disease.

A blood test checks your GFR, which tells how well your kidneys are filtering.

A urine test checks for albumin in your urine, a sign of kidney damage.

In adults, the normal eGFR number is more than 90. eGFR declines with age, even in people without kidney disease. See chart below for average estimated eGFR based on age.

• A GFR of 60 or higher is in the normal range.
• A GFR below 60 may mean kidney disease.
• A GFR of 15 or lower may mean kidney failure.

Albumin is a protein found in the blood. A healthy kidney does not let albumin pass into the urine. A damaged kidney lets some albumin pass into the urine. The less albumin in your urine, the better.

• A urine albumin result below 30 is normal.
• A urine albumin result above 30 may mean kidney disease

What is your stage of kidney disease? There are 5 stages of kidney disease. They are shown in the table below. Your treatment is based on your stage of kidney disease. Speak to your doctor if you have any questions about your stage of kidney disease or your treatment.

A kidney transplant is an operation that places a healthy kidney from another person into your body. The kidney may come from someone who has died or from a living person who may be a close relative, spouse, or friend. It can even come from someone who wishes to donate a kidney to anyone in need of a transplant. Your new kidney will be placed in your lower abdomen and connected to your bladder and blood vessels. The transplant operation takes about 3 hours and you will be in the hospital for about 5 to 7 days. After the transplant, you will need to take special medications to prevent your body from rejecting the new kidney. You will have to take these medications for as long as you have the transplant. Many patients prefer a transplant over dialysis because it gives them more freedom, allows for a less restricted diet and may improve the quality and length of life. A kidney transplant is a treatment, not a cure. A person with a kidney transplant still has kidney disease, and may need some of the other medicines they took before the transplant.