Kidney health is essential in fending off kidney diseases. Transplant Education for Living Legacies (Tell) encourages South Africans, especially those in the high-risk group, to have their kidney function checked regularly. Regular check-ups are crucial to early diagnosis.
This campaign is part of the annual National Kidney Awareness run under the theme “Kidney Health for All”.
The global demand for organs, especially kidneys, is far greater than the supply. This is compounded by the waiting list for viable kidneys in South Africa representing a wait of as long as 12 to 15 years.
Diagnosis
You are at high risk of developing chronic kidney disease (CKD) if you have: diabetes, hypertension, a family history of kidney disease and issues with being overweight.
Kidney disease means your kidneys are unable to filter blood the way they should. This leads to toxins building up in your body and complications such as high blood pressure, anemia, or heart and blood vessel disease. End-stage kidney disease (ESKD) is irreversible kidney damage that requires dialysis or a kidney transplant from a deceased or living donor.
Treatment
Treatment for ESKD will start when a patient has less than 15% kidney function left. Most people, however, only get diagnosed at a very late stage. If affected, you can lose up to 90% of your kidney function without showing any signs or symptoms.
Dialysis is the process where excess fluids and toxins are removed from your blood via a hemodialysis machine. One session takes four hours, and a patient will typically need three sessions per week. Most children who require dialysis will be put on peritoneal dialysis, where the peritoneum (membrane) is used as a filter to remove excess fluid and toxins. This type of treatment is done manually five times in a 24-hour period or via a machine for 12 hours per session.
Kidney transplant
A kidney transplant is the preferred treatment for eligible patients with ESKD, although dialysis remains the predominant therapy across the globe. Research has shown that children have the best long-term graft survival rate of any age group of recipients.
A transplant is a better treatment option for children, as dialysis is not an adequate treatment option and can often result in stunted growth. The risk of death is four times greater when on dialysis compared to a transplant.
