Kidney Transplant Issues Are Worldwide

Kidney Transplant

From The Times of India, Mumbai

New law essential for kidney patients’ woes: Eknath Khadse

Opposition leader Eknath Khadse, who recently travelled to Sri Lanka for a kidney transplant to avoid red tape back home, said a new legislation was essential to halt the harassment of patients. Khadse, encountered several procedural delays here though his wife was the donor.

Khadse, a chronic hypertension and diabetes patient, was diagnosed with a kidney problem over a month back. Against the normal creatinin level of 0.7 to 1.5, Khadse had a level of 5.5. "I was advised dialysis every alternate day. After two rounds, I found it was very tiring and I was completely exhausted," he said. A month and several dialysis rounds later, Khadse began to explore other treatment options. "I was told I could lead a near-normal life if I underwent a kidney transplant," he said.



"We found after medical examination that my wife's kidney was the best match," he added. But he was shocked by the procedural wrangles. "The minimum time required to complete formalities ranged between one to three months. At times, the state-level authorisation committee didn't meet for a month, so there was no decision. I also learnt of several patients dying due to the failure of the committee to take a decision," he said. Doctors advised him to perform the procedure abroad. "I was told if all documents were in order, the transplant could be over in less than three days," he said.

Khadse was told the procedural wrangles were owing to a Supreme Court order. "I feel officials are misleading people. My information is that the apex court prescribed stringent guidelines to curb the illegal kidney trade, it never wanted transplants to be halted. The CM should bring in a legislation, may be an ordinance, to simplify the procedure for kidney transplant and halt harassment of genuine patients and donors," he said.

Moreover, he found that the state-run JJ Hospital didn't even have a department of nephrology. "I am told the Centre has granted Rs 120 crore for the modernisation of JJ Hospital. It is unfortunate that it does not have basic facilities for kidney patients. I have taken it up with the chief minister," he said.

But Satish Pawar, director of health services, denied kidney transplant approvals took a long time. He said if the donor was a relative, then a decision is taken by a committee at the hospital's level. If the donor is not a relative, then the state-level authorisation committee decides on the issue. "It depends on documentation. If a specific case is brought to our notice, it will be probed," Pawar said. [Read more]

From Brooks Bulletin, Alberta, Canada, by Sandra M. Stanway

Dialysis patient urges everyone to have ‘The Talk’

Ken Martin urges everyone to have the talk about organ donation.
For five years - during which time his hopes were raised by the prospect of four live donors - Martin has been on kidney dialysis.
For over three years he traveled from Brooks to Medicine Hat three times a week and just over two years ago he started home dialysis, three days a week, which is more convenient.
The master bedroom is neatly organized.
The machine stands ready for the night’s dialysis along with all the extras that are needed.
Spare medical material is stored in the closet in the master bedroom along with huge canisters to purify water.
Martin, 66, would love to remove the huge machine from his bedroom and give his wife back her closet.
That’s why he’s urging Albertans to have the talk about organ donation.
At the end of November the province announced that it will establish a donor registry.
A provincial agency in charge of human tissue and organ donations will be established by the summer. An online registry will follow in 2015.
“This online registry makes (sure) that you are a donor,” said Martin’s wife Georgina.
While the province gets organized Martin said now is the time to sit down with your family and let them know your wishes if you want to give life to someone who is waiting for an organ.
“People do not realize the situation that kidney patients are in,” Martin said.
He said many people sign the back of their driver’s licence agreeing to be a donor. However, if they haven’t told their family, the decision can be vetoed. [Read more]

From HuffingtonPost.com

Daring Photojournalist Documents Her Experience Living With Chronic Illness

Luna Coppola is a 32-year-old photojournalist who has been perpetually ill for the last decade. Diagnosed with Chronic Kidney Disease in 2004, she'd likely been living with the initially silent condition for longer, turning to dialysis when the disease reached its inevitable peak. It was then that she decided to document her battle, turning her lens onto herself to capture the exhaustion, self-consciousness, fear and hope she experienced while waiting for the only truly effective treatment for her sickness -- a kidney transplant.

"Symptoms become manifest when you are already in an advanced stage, when you cannot turn back, so you try to get on with it and adapt," Coppola wrote in a statement over email. {More story and images]

Kidney Care

From SBWire.com, Press Release

How to Improve Kidney Function in Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD)

Healthy Kidney Publishing is back announcing that their program, “The All Natural Kidney Health & Kidney Function Restoration Program” can show anyone with Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) how to improve their kidney function. To learn more about the program and over 7 ways to improve kidney health click the link How To Improve Kidney Function

Polycystic Kidney Disease or PKD for short is one of the most dangerous kinds of kidney diseases. The reason is because there are no conventional or allopathic medical treatments that work to stop the disease process but now there is an option to help.

Below is an overview of what polycystic kidney disease is all about.

Polycystic is defined as ‘poly’ which means many and ‘cystic’ which means many cysts or sacs. With the definition, PKD means that there are many fluid-filled sacs found in the kidneys. This is a genetic disorder where many cysts are formed in the kidneys. The disease results inan enlarged kidney as caused by the fluid-filled cysts and destroys kidney function.

Who can be affected by Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD)?

Polycystic Kidney Disease can happen to anyone and at any age. In terms of numbers, 5% of patients undergoing dialysis or transplant have PKD. PKD is inherited which means that the disease can be passed down from parents to their children.

Polycystic kidney disease (PKD) eventually lead to kidney failure caused by a combination of:

- Presence of scars in the normal support tissue in the kidney
- Compressing normal kidney tissue
- Pressure from expanding cysts

PKD has following health problems:

- Hypertension
- Urinary tract infection
- Kidney stones
- Kidney failure
- Kidney infection

There are Two Types of Polycystic Kidney Disease: Autosomal dominant PKD and Autosomal recessive PKD

1. Autosomal Recessive Polycystic Kidney Disease: This is a rare form of PKD where the symptoms appear in infants and young children. There is a 25% chance of inheriting the disease if each of the parents carries at least one copy of the defective disease gene. In a case where only one the parents carries the gene, there are no chances of inheriting ARPKD.
2. Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease: This most common among other kidney diseases which can affect 1 out a 1000 births. APKD signs and symptoms appear during middle age which is anywhere from 40 to 60 years old. Since the disease can be dominantly inherited, there is 50% percent chance that the parent can pass down the disease to his or her children. In a case where the disease was not passed on, offspring of the next generation may inherit APKD.

Polycystic Kidney Disease is diagnosed by different methods depending on what the doctor recommends. Below are the following methods:

- Blood tests
- Ultrasound
- X-ray
- CT Scan

How To Improve Kidney Function In PKD

Many people and even medical doctors reporting about their patients that after using The All Natural Kidney Health & Kidney Function Restoration Program so they a boost in kidney function.

Take 3 minutes to learn about this program, the many people it has helped and over 7 ways to improve and maintain kidney health, click the link below …

How To Improve Kidney Function

From BorneoPost.com, Malaysia 

Socso spending more on dialysis treatment each year

SIBU: Social Security Organisation (Socso) is spending more each year on members’ dialysis treatment, says Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri Richard Riot.

He said this when presenting two Socso’s haemodialysis machines to St John’s Ambulance Malaysia (Sibu Branch) in Jeriwit Road here yesterday. His text of speech was read by his political secretary Major (R) Peter Runin.

Riot said in 2012, Socso spent RM104.6 million on such assistance, an increase of 13 per cent from RM92.5 million in 2011.

“This year until November, Socso has spent RM96.3 million on assisting in dialysis treatment,” he said. According to him, Socso introduced dialysis treatment assistance to its members since 1999.

He said from Arterior Veneous Fistula (a preparation stage for the patients before the treatment), the assistance had extended to Continuous Ambulatory Partioneal Dialysis (CAPD) in 2003, and Erythropoietin (EPO) injection subsidies in 2009.

“In 2011, Socso provided subsidies for Immunosuppressant (Anti-Rejection) to patients who had undergone kidney replacement.

“Socso not only eased their financial burden, but encouraged them to go for kidney replacement to enable them to lead a normal life,” he said.

Currently, he said, Socso had selected 423 dialysis treatment centres as their panel centres nationwide. [Read more]

From The Times of India, Mumbai

Do you know anything about your kidneys?

Survey after survey has proven that Mumbaikars have weak kidneys. Here's a quiz to test how well you know the filtration units of your body

Last month, a news report had the BMC admit that Mumbai is suffering an 80 per cent shortage of dialysis beds. Several patients, unable to access dialysis, have succumbed to kidney failure.



With lifestyle disorders on the rise among urban Indians, it's especially important to take care of your kidneys (so what if you have a pair?). For that, you'll have to know the bean-shaped filters of your body inside out? Take our quiz to find out if you do:

1. Where are your kidneys located?
a) Front and upper section of your body
b) Front and lower section of your body
c) Lower section of your body, in the back
d) Lower section of your body, in front

Answer: C. Kidneys are located behind the abdominal cavity, above the waist. While their rear portion is covered by the ribs, the lower section is unprotected. If you place your hands on your hips, the position of your thumb indicates the position of the kidney.

2. Smoking affects the kidneys
a) True
b) False
Answer: A. The kidneys perform the essential function of keeping the blood in the body free of toxins. In fact, several heavy smokers suffer from renal cell carcinoma, says Dr Madan Bahadur, consultant nephrologist and transplant surgeon at Jaslok Hospital and Research Centre. Smoking also increases the deposition of cholesterol in large blood vessels, reducing blood supply to kidneys. This means oxygen levels in the kidneys drop, causing hypoxia, diminishing their ability to function optimally.

3. How much blood does a kidney filter every day?
a) 10 litres
b) 100 million litres
c) 180 litres
d) 100 litres
Answer: C. A healthy adult's kidneys filter about 180 litres of blood every day to remove toxic wastes.

4. What's a kidney-friendly combination?
a) Carrots and green beans
b) Pineapple, green peas and coffee
Answer: B. Pineapple, green beans and coffee are all low potassium foods. Potassium is a mineral present in most foods, and your kidneys are responsible for maintaining potassium levels in the body (healthy levels — 3.5 - 5.0 mEq/L). High levels can lead to a irregular heartbeat, and even a heart attack. [Read more]

From Republican Herald, Pottsville, PA, by STEPHEN J. PYTAK, Staff Writer

Center recognized for work with home dialysis patients

When John Thornton, 72, of Shenandoah, learned his kidneys were failing four and a half years ago, he faced a future filled with uncertainty.

"We weren't sure why they were failing. The doctors thought it might be because of the medication I was taking for a heart condition. But they're not sure," Thornton said Thursday.

He survives via a home dialysis method that uses tissues in his abdominal cavity as a filter. It's called peritoneal dialysis.

He braves the challenge with support from his wife, JoAnne, and the specialists at Fresenius Medical Care Dialysis Services of Pottsville Inc. at 278 Industrial Park Road, East Norwegian Township. They include Carla Pothering, a registered nurse who specialized in treating people who do their dialysis at home.

"They're terrific. I have no problems. They gave me good instructions on what to do. And if you follow their instructions, it seems everything works out all right," John Thornton said.

"If you need them, you can call them anytime," JoAnne Thornton said.

"JoAnne and I are a team," Pothering said.

"She is a wonderful person to work with. Wonderful. There's a good feeling between us. We can discuss things without holding back. We can give our opinions," JoAnne Thornton said of Pothering.

Earlier this year, the center was honored by Fresenius Medical Care with a "Center of Excellence Award" for "exceeding FMS Peritoneal Dialysis Quality Criteria," according to a framed certificate at the center.

It's based on meeting high quality targets associated with patient care, like anemia management, adequate dialysis and nutritional status, Pothering said.

"I've been here 17 years, and this is the first time we've received an honor like that," Pothering said Thursday.

This is the first time the clinic has received the award because it just became eligible for it in 2012. Clinics must have more than 10 patients to be eligible, a Fresenius representative said last week.

"Today, we have 17 home dialysis patients who are between the ages of 26 and 83," Pothering said. [Read more]

From MarketWatch.com - Press Release

SCAN Health Plan-VillageHealth Rated #1 By Consumers in Treatment of Renal Dialysis Patients

LONG BEACH, Calif., Dec 09, 2013 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- SCAN Health Plan announced today that its chronic condition special needs plan (C-SNP) for individuals with end-stage renal disease received the highest patient satisfaction rating of any C-SNP in California. The plan - called VillageHealth(R) - is a joint partnership with DaVita(R), a division of DaVita HealthCare Partners Inc. DVA +0.18% and a leading provider of kidney care services. VillageHealth received a 92 percent satisfaction rating in Medicare's Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) 2013 survey.* [Read more]

Kidney Disease Treatment

From MedPageToday, by Todd Neale, Senior Staff Writer

LDL No Longer Target of Kidney Disease Lipid Management

Specific low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol treatment targets were removed from guidelines on managing lipids in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) released by Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) last month.

Instead, the decision to initiate cholesterol-lowering treatment -- specifically statin therapy -- should be based on the absolute risk of coronary events, and evidence that a therapy will help lower that risk,Marcello Tonelli, MD, of the University of Alberta in Edmonton, and Christoph Wanner, MD, of the University Hospital of Würzburg in Germany wrote in a synopsis of the guidelines published online Monday in Annals of Internal Medicine. [Read more]

Helping Others

From WLTX.com, Columbia, SC - includes video

Campaign Kicks Off to Support Manning Mayor

Manning, SC (WLTX) - A statewide outreach campaign, has kicked off in order to support the mayor of Manning.

After suffering for many years with polycystic kidney disease, Mayor Julia Nelson learned late last month that her condition had worsened.

The serious nature of her diagnosis has put her in immediate need of a kidney transplant. Due to the genetic nature of the illness, none of Nelson's siblings are viable candidates for a kidney donation.

Community members can help support the campaign by becoming a kidney donation candidate or by making a monetary donation to the Nelson Transplant Fund at any local NBSC bank.

From Mooresville Tribune, North Carolina

Iredell Community Foundation awards grants to 23 agencies

In November, the Iredell County Community Foundation distributed grants totaling $88,000 to twenty-three Iredell area nonprofit organizations. Recently, the Board of Trustees met with the recipients to recognize their important work in the community.

The 2013 grant recipients include:

• $4,000 to Iredell Kidney Dialysis Kidney Organization, Inc. to provide hemodialysis patients transportation to their dialysis appointments. [Read more]

From WJHG.com, NBC affiliate Panama City, Florida - includes video

Benefit Concert Held for Man Needing Kidney Transplant

A local man in need of a kidney transplant is spreading awareness by holding a benefit concert .
The Golden Rose Band hosted the fundraiser benefit for Stevan McInturff Saturday at the Parker Community Center.
Six months ago, McInturff went to the eye doctor for a routine check-up.
Doctors said his blood pressure was dangerously high and he was sent to the emergency room.
A short time later he was diagnosed with renal failure.
He was put on kidney dialysis and now he's needs a kidney transplant.
McInturff hopes his story will motivate others to see their doctors routinely.
"The change in life. The feelings at first like your dreams have all been crushed any futures. And then you come tor realize there's a way around that. In time you can heal," said McInturff.
Organizers hope to raise $5,000 for McInturff's medical bills.
The estimated cost for the entire operation is $120,000.
To donate, call 850-381-6237.

From Daily Mercury, Mackay, Queensland, Australia, by Megan Hughes

Pair have helped people with kidney disease for 20 year

LOCAL legends Herb St Pierre and Heather Miles have helped people suffering from kidney disease and their carers for 20 years.

Both have had family members affected by kidney failure, and they recognised a need for a support group in the region.

"When my husband needed dialysis, there was no support for partners and families," Mrs Miles said.

"It's good for partners and friends going through this to help them deal with it."

A renal dialysis unit opened at the Gladstone Hospital early last year allowing patients to receive treatment.

"Originally we had to drive to Rockhampton for dialysis," Mr St Pierre said.

"We finally got one chair here and then one of the gas companies helped fund it and it increased in size."

The team provides support and has also done fundraising projects over the years.

One project in particular shows just how much support this team is willing to give.

During the floods last January, a patient living in a remote area north of Rockhampton had to relocate to receive regular treatment.

Mr St Pierre and Mrs Miles raised enough money to pay for his living costs while he was receiving treatment.

The team also sponsor athletes who have undergone transplant surgery to go to the World and Australian Transplant games.

Regional areas have a higher prevalence of kidney disease, compared to urban areas in Australia, and research shows that men are more likely to have kidney problems than women, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.