From Seaside Courier, Oceanside, CA
March is National Kidney Month: What Everyone Needs to Know
March is National Kidney Month, a great time to focus on kidney health and treatment. If you don’t know much about the topic, get informed -- kidney disease is common and can be deadly.
In fact, kidney disease is the ninth leading cause of death in America, according to the National Kidney Foundation, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that one in three Americans are at risk for kidney disease.
Risk factors include high blood pressure, diabetes and a family history of a kidney disease.
Staying Healthy
Certain lifestyle changes can help promote healthy kidney function. Your doctor may prescribe a well-balanced diet low in cholesterol, sodium, processed foods and sugar. Get plenty of physical activity. Stay hydrated. Avoid unhealthy habits such as smoking.
Talk to your doctor about your risk and preventive steps you can take.
How Treatment Works
In a healthy body, kidneys clean the blood by removing excess fluid, minerals and wastes. However, for patients with kidney failure, kidneys don’t function properly and they need a medical treatment called dialysis to clean their blood.
More than 430,000 people in the U.S. undergo dialysis at home or in clinics yearly, according to the United States Renal Data System.
There are two types of dialysis: peritoneal dialysis and hemodialysis. Peritoneal dialysis uses a cleansing fluid that is instilled into the patient’s peritoneal cavity, the fluid-filled gap between the walls of the abdomen and organs, and then drained after a prescribed period of time. The patient’s own peritoneal membrane acts as a natural filter for removing excess fluids and wastes.
Hemodialysis requires the patient to have a permanent access site to his or her cardiovascular system and uses a machine to remove blood from the patient, pump it through an artificial kidney that removes toxins and excess fluids, and then return the blood to the body. [Read more]
Today, as a mother of four daughters, Heather Shaw is always on the go. But back in 1999, while five months pregnant with her first child, Shaw developed something called Hydronephrosis, the swelling of the kidney due to back up of urine. This was the beginning of what has become a long and difficult battle withkidney disease.
Shaw's baby girl was born suffering seizures and in her first six weeks of life, she was in and out of the hospital. Heather was so focused on her new baby that she lost track of her own medical concerns and ended up in ICU with acute renal failure. She had contracted an infection and inadvertently overdosed on ibuprofen. She was ultimately diagnosed with FSGS (Focal and Segmental Glomerulosclerosis), a rare disease that attacks the kidney's filtering system causing serious scarring.
"I was told then that I would eventually need a transplant," she said.
Even though she was advised not to have any more children, the years to come brought three more little ones.
In total, she dealt with kidney disease for thirteen years until her kidneys reached a point requiring a serious intervention - dialysis.
"Being on dialysis was honestly the most awful thing I have ever had to do. I was extremely tired and sick on the days I had to go and it made it very difficult to be able to do the normal tasks like cooking or cleaning," she said.
She only had to endure dialysis three and a half months because her brother stepped up and made a profound decision that will forever change Shaw's life. Her brother had always said that he would donate a kidney if he was a match.
On March 13, 2013 Shaw received a kidney from her brother. The date couldn't have been more perfect - March 13th is World Kidney Day.
"I don't think grateful is strong enough of a word as to how I feel about what he did." said Shaw.
Shaw was lucky to have a donor. But so many others don't. Kidney disease kills over 90,000 Americans a year - more than breast and prostate cancer combined. One in ten American adults have Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) and most don't even know it. The National Kidney Foundation says high blood pressure and diabetes are the two leading causes of kidney disease. Of the more than 120,000 Americans currently on the waiting list for a lifesaving organ transplant, over 99,000 need a kidney.
Too many think that being an organ donor is a gift you give only after you're gone. While it is important to talk about end-of-life decisions including organ donation, it is becoming more common to donate organs and partial organs while living. Kidneys are the most common organs donated by living donors. As a result of her brother's gift, Shaw now has the energy to be a mom.
LifeChoice Donor Services, Inc. is the federally designated, non-profit organ procurement organization (OPO) for six counties in Connecticut and three counties in Western Massachusetts. For information and to join the Donor Registry, visit http://www.lifechoiceopo.org or call 1-800-874-5215.
Gift of Life
From Long Island NewsDay, New York, by Tom Rock
The Giants' former offensive coordinator met with the Giants' current quarterbacks coach for the first time on Thursday night. And they weren't talking football. Their connection runs much deeper.
Kevin Gilbride, the play-caller who retired at the end of the 2013 season, was at the Polycycstic Kidney Disease (PKD) Foundation benefit in Manhattan. He was honoring Danny Langsdorf, who, seven years ago, donated a kidney that saved the life of Gilbride's sister, Laurie Cavanaugh.
"It's impossible to find the words to express to someone: Without you, my little sister wouldn't be alive," Gilbride said moments before being introduced to Langsdorf. "I'm the oldest of the seven and she's the youngest girl. She's my baby sister. You say thank you. Thank you for saving her life. There's no way we can repay you. It's a beautiful story."
The Gilbride family has a history of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease. Kevin Gilbride's father died from it in 1972 at the age of 45, and he has a brother and sister who needed transplants. Those were more routine, Gilbride said, but Laurie required some special genetic needs from her donor.
Langsdorf was coaching at Oregon State at the time of the donation and was good friends with another coach on staff, Mike Cavanaugh. That was Laurie's husband.
Over the years, as Laurie's condition worsened and dozens of potential donors were rejected -- so many that Gilbride said he gave up counting -- Langsdorf kept tabs on her deterioration. [Read more]
PKD Fund Raising
The Western Treasure Valley is rallying around an Ontario resident who turned to Facebook to raise money for a kidney transplant.
Since 51-year-old Jeff Canas launched his Facebook page, Help Jeff to Hope, it has gradually gained steam and helped him raise more than $8,000 so far. Canas is suffering from polycystic kidney disease and, now in end-stage renal failure, is forced to undergo 11 hours of dialysis each day.
“I’m too young to be this sick,” Canas told the Argus Observer in February. “This transplant means a totally new beginning for me.”
Many have heard Jeff’s call for help and have risen to the occasion.
“It’s been pretty crazy,” Canas said. “A lot of people I haven’t heard from in a long time have been calling and donating, a lot of people I don’t even know.”
New Plymouth resident Kathy Davis is using her booth at the New Plymouth Senior Citizens’ Spring Bazaar Saturday to raise funds for Canas. All the proceeds from her booth will go to his donation fund, she said.
She’ll be at the bazaar from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the New Plymouth Senior Center, 126 N. Plymouth Ave.
The Ontario Elks are holding a fundraiser for Canas Friday, March 21. From 5 to 9 p.m., the Elks Lodge will host a potluck dinner and an auction including items such as guided hunting trips, rifles, gift baskets and gift certificates. Organizer Russ White said donations are still needed, and those interested in donating to the auction can contact him at (208) 284-4649.
Those who still want to donate to Canas can do so through his Facebook page athttps://www.facebook.com/jscee111 or by visiting any Washington Federal Bank branch.
“I just really appreciate everybody coming out and helping,” Canas said. “I can’t even say enough about people coming out. It’s been great.” [Read more]
BEING diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease has motivated local resident Michelle Dalton to look at ways to help herself and other people with similar problems by raising money for Kidney Health Australia.
So Michelle has decided to sacrifice her long hair, donate it to help women with cancer, and ask people to support her fundraising effort by donating money to Kidney Health Australia.
Kidney Health Australia, formerly known as the Australian Kidney Foundation, is a national health care charity with a vision to save and improve the lives of Australians affected by kidney disease.
Michelle has set herself a goal of raising $1000 for the kidney charity by the end of April, when she will have her cut and donated to Pantene Beautiful Lengths, which supports women with cancer by providing free real-hair wigs those who have lost their locks through treatment.
Streamline Hair Design at Lakewood will support her by cutting her hair, which she has been growing for nearly five years, Michelle said, and her daughter is having her long hair cut too and also donating it to Pantene Beautiful Lengths.
Diagnosed about two years ago with the serious kidney disease, Michelle says she has managed to stabilise her condition by radically changing her diet to a very low salt regime, helped by her family who also changed to the same way of eating.
She is hoping to stay healthy and put off the need to have dialysis treatments or an eventual transplant.
Family and facebook friends have already donated more than $250 to her campaign, and Michelle says she would love to be able to exceed her $1000 target.
Anyone who wishes to help Michelle's fund raising can do so at give.everydayhero.com/au/michelle-dalton.
Kidney Health Australia says that each year more Australians die with kidney related disease than breast cancer, prostate cancer and even road deaths. Sadly, one in three Australians is at increased risk of kidney disease and an estimated 1.7 million Australians over the age of 25 already have at least one clinical sign of existing kidney disease.
Dialysis Research
From ABC.net Australia
A Melbourne conference has heard an artificial kidney belt has been approved for human trials in the US. It would release dialysis patients from the routine of being hooked up to a dialysis machine at a clinic and Kidney Health Australia says it would also be cheaper for the health system.
Our kidneys perform the function of filtering blood to remove all toxic wastes from the body. In people with reduced kidney function or kidney failure, the blood does not get filtered properly which results in excess build up of wastes in the system. Currently, dialysis is a common treatment used to treat such patients. But dialysis is a process that involves a lot of specifications and is expensive as well as time consuming. The machines need electricity to run and also requires vigilant maintenance. Moreover, the machines are not readily available in all parts of the countries.
Mitsuhiro Ebara along with co-workers at The International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics, National Institute for Materials Science in Ibaraki, Japan synthesized a nanofibre mesh capable of eliminating toxic and waste products from the blood. The researchers believe that the device can serve as a cheap alternative to dialysis for patients suffering from kidney failure all over the world.
By devising this nanofibre mesh, the WPI-MANA researchers have widened the scope of treatment in patients requiring dialysis. The mesh can be simply integrated into a blood purification product small enough to be worn on a patient’s arm. The nanofibre mesh is actually made up of a polymer that is compatible with blood components. The polymer is synthesised from polyethylene-co-vinyl alchohol (EVOH), and various zeolites that can easily adsorb toxins like creatinine from blood.
According to the researchers, the new design of the nanofibre mesh is still in its early stages and not yet ready for production. But the team is confident that their nanofiber mesh will soon be a feasible, compact and cheap alternative to dialysis for kidney failure patients across the world. [Read more]
Kidney dialysis is a heavy treatment to undergo and has many side effects. Scientist Prof Dimitrios Stamatialis is starting a new research project into the development of new dialysis membranes for longer and better blood detoxification. The project belongs to The Life Science and Health (LSH) Impuls program and is performed in collaboration between industry, the Dutch Kidney Foundation, Maastricht University and the Maastricht University Medical Center (UMC+). Prof Stamatialis is affiliated with the MIRA research institute of the University of Twente.
Hemodialysis is by far the most common form of dialysis undergone by kidney patientswho are dependent on it. This involves purifying the blood outside of the patient's body using an artificial kidney. The artificial kidney is housed in a large dialysis machine. Treatment usually takes place two or three times a week and each session lasts around three to five hours. While dialysis is a lifesaving treatment, it has a significant effect on the kidney patient's body and life. Since the treatment is not continuous, waste products accumulate between dialysis sessions and the patient's fluid balance fluctuates significantly. This means that kidney patients feel exhausted more quickly and are often nauseous. Headaches and itching are also common complaints.
Longer and better
Prof Dimitrios Stamatialis is starting research into the development of a new artificial kidney device based on new blood-compatible biomaterials combined with adsorbent particles for toxin removal. These filters can be used for longer periods of time and are expected to remove a broad range of toxins. The filters currently used generally remove only small uremic toxins.
"If patients are able to undergo dialysis more frequently and / or for longer periods of time, their fluid balance is better," explains Prof Stamatialis. "The waste products in the blood do not accumulate between treatments and this means that patients feel better. I am also focusing on the development of better filters."
Lightweight portable device
Longer, better and smaller are the keywords of Stamatialis' research. Prof Stamatialis: "My long term ambition is the development of a lightweight portable device which patients can use for a longer period of time. In this new project, we will make significant progress in this direction. We will develop the new devices and test them on small animals." [Read more]
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