#esrd Archives - All Things Kidney ~ Official

Lupus Nephritis

May 23, 2022May 30, 2022Leave a comment

Lupus is a prominent name among the myriad chronic inflammatory conditions where the body’s immune system begins attacking its own tissues. This autoimmune condition can impact virtually any organ of the body. It is incurable, the clinical presentation is widely variable with sometimes debilitating flares and the complications, potentially fatal in some cases when left untreated. Among other organs, Kidneys are a prime target here. So, as a portal dedicated to nephrology, let us walk you through the what-why-how of this challenging autoimmune disorder with specific focus on Lupus Nephritis – its kidney chapter. It is Lupus Awareness Month (May) after all!

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Kidney Transplant: Before the surgery – II

December 13, 2020May 21, 2021Leave a comment

Transplant

Hello kidney warriors & knowledge seekers! Today, we continue from our previous article on all steps that kidney patients & kidney donors need to follow before getting admitted to the hospital for a Transplant surgery.

The article today explains the basic workflow involved for every kidney patient scheduled for a transplant & their donor starting from hospital admission until they finally get to go under the knife.

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Kidney Transplant: Before the surgery – I

November 25, 2020May 21, 2021Leave a comment

Kidney transplant

Every patient with End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) or in other words, Kidney failure needs to go on treatments that would “fill the gaps” in the errant functioning of the unwell kidney or completely replace it with healthy functioning. Dialysis is a way to fill the gaps while a Kidney Transplant is a complete replacement.

In our previous article, we explained the bare basics of a Kidney Transplant.

This article covers an outline of what an average pre-transplant preparation for the patient and the kidney donor may entail.

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Kidney Transplant – Basics

November 4, 2020May 21, 2021Leave a comment

What is kidney transplant?
Who needs a kidney transplant?
Who can be a kidney donor?
Kidney transplant vs Dialysis for life
What is pre-emptive kidney transplant?
Who makes up your kidney transplant care team?

1. What is Kidney Transplant?

Kidneys are essential for sustaining life. Individuals who end up with very little or almost no kidney function, either due to an incurable disease, birth defect or extensive injury, require a solution to regain/assist with their kidney function. Kidney Transplant is one of the methods to do so.

This involves a surgical procedure of “transferring” a healthy, matched kidney from a willing donor to “implant” it in the belly of the patient requiring the organ. Hence the name, Transplant.

Here, the donor kidney is securely removed with Continue reading “Kidney Transplant – Basics” →

Peritoneal Dialysis

July 13, 2020May 21, 2021Leave a comment

Following up from our article on Dialysis Essentials , we present below, a comprehensive insight on one of the preferred types of Dialysis in kidney failure – Peritoneal dialysis.

Find the Table of Contents below. Click on your topic of interest to go to the section directly or scroll down to read the full article (recommended!).

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Haemodialysis

July 13, 2020May 21, 2021Leave a comment

Following up from our article on the What-Why-When of Dialysis, presenting here a comprehensive insight on one of the commonest treatment modalities in kidney failure – Haemodialysis.

Find the table of contents below. Click on your topic of choice to get to your section-of-choice directly or scroll down to read the whole post (recommended!).

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Renal Diet: What can you really eat?!

January 3, 2020May 21, 2021Leave a comment

Renal Diet

Being a Kidney Patient is difficult. It is not just the health challenges it poses on a day-to-day basis. It is also the “restrictions” that are suddenly “imposed” on us even with something as basic as “what we EAT”! Admittedly, the Renal Diet appears all the more challenging when it is a festive season!

But, focusing on what we CAN eat with kidney disease in tow, instead of what we CANNOT opens a whole new horizon of food options & possible food combinations which may go unnoticed otherwise.

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Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR)

November 8, 2019May 21, 2021Leave a comment

If you are a member of the kidney community – whether as a patient, caregiver, advocate or knowledge seeker – it is likely that you have come across the term “Glomerular Filtration Rate” or more commonly, the GFR. Perhaps you are also aware that this term broadly relates to your kidney’s functional capacity.

But do you completely understand what GFR really is?

How does your medical team clinically assess the GFR for your kidneys?

How valid is it throughout your CKD journey?

And is it always indicative of the true health status of your kidneys?

All these are some very pertinent questions that each member of the Kidney Community, especially the patients & caregivers must thoroughly know the answers to. And that is exactly what we are here to help you with, today. Continue reading “Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR)” →

Breathing Difficulty in Kidney Disease

August 11, 2019May 21, 2021Leave a comment

Breathing Difficulty in Chronic Kidney Disease is an inevitable accompaniment in advanced stages. But why does CKD make you breathless in the first place? Learn here.

The other day, some of us at Team ATK just sat reflecting on our pre-transplant days with Kidney Failure. And we all concurred on the helplessness we felt about that relentless “out-of-breath” sensation even at the slightest exertion. In fact, right after transplant, this was one of the first positive changes that I remember as uplifting my quality of life. I could breathe fully, freely & effortlessly again!

So, what is this “breathlessness” or as the fancy medical terminology would have it, “Dyspnoea” (pronounced as “disp-neah”) in Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) all about? Continue reading “Breathing Difficulty in Kidney Disease” →

Muscle Wasting in CKD: Treatment

July 8, 2019May 21, 2021Leave a comment

Muscle wasting & pain is a common complication reported in most patients with Chronic Kidney Disease, worldwide. Speaking from personal experience, this is also one of those “visibly apparent” physical changes in the course of CKD, which can have a negative impact on our already complicated quality of life.

So, can you prevent this from happening? Well, that’s the million-dollar (research) question, isn’t it?

In our previous article in this category, we covered the whole bunch of causes that conspire together in CKD to make your muscles gradually “lose themselves” over time. Fortunately, medical research has offered us effective solutions to keep muscle wasting in CKD at bay for as long as possible. In addition, some approaches can also partially restore muscle bulk and strength after muscle wasting has already started.

Let’s explore these treatments then, shall we?

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