The Kidneys and Kidney Disease
What do the kidneys do?
As vital organs in our body, the main job of our kidneys is to remove toxins and excess water from our blood. They also help to control our blood pressure, the levels of salt and other minerals, to produce red blood cells and to keep our bones healthy.
How common is kidney disease?
Kidney disease has become increasingly common in recent years and there has never been a greater demand for renal services. This has been driven by demographic change with the population becoming older and living longer and also the increasing frequency of chronic heart disease and diabetes. Currently:
Approximately 1 in 10 people have some form of kidney disease ranging from very mild to severe.
1 in 50 -100 have moderate to sever kidney disease.
1 in 1000 will develop end stage renal failure (see below) and require either dialysis or transplantation.
Who is likely to develop kidney disease?
Persons with high blood pressure, diabetes, and others whose relatives have kidney disease are more likely to develop kidney disease.
What are the symptoms of kidney disease?
Symptoms of kidney disease include changes in urination, swelling, fatigue, skin rashes, metallic taste in the mouth, nausea and vomiting, shortness of breath, feeling cold, dizziness, trouble concentrating, and leg and back pain.
How is kidney disease detected?
Simple tests of our urine, blood and blood pressure can show early signs of kidney problems.
How is kidney disease treated?
Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is a slowly progressive loss of kidney function over a period of months or years. Once CKD is detected it is possible to slow down, or even stop the problem with medication and alteration of certain living habits. However, End Stage Renal Failure occurs when more than 80% of renal function is lost, causing sever illness. we refer to loss of renal function is called end-stage renal failure (ESRF). ESRF must be treated with renal replacement therapy in the form of either dialysis or transplantation.
What is dialysis?
Dialysis is a procedure for removing waste products from the blood. There are two main types of dialysis: hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis. In hemodialysis, the patient's blood is pumped through a kidney machine, a special filter that removes wastes and extra fluids. Hemodialysis treatments are typically 3-5 hours in duration and are given 3 times per week. In peritoneal dialysis, a sterile solution is run through a tube into the peritoneal cavity (the abdominal body cavity around the intestine). The solution is left there for a period of time to absorb waste products, and then it is drained out through the tube and discarded. This cycle is normally repeated 4-5 times every 24 hours.
What is transplantation?
Transplantation is the replacement of lost kidney function by an operation during which kidney from a donor (who may be a dead or living person) is implanted into the abdomen of the kidney patient the recipient. Although every patient is different, transplantation is almost always the preferred way of treating ESRF.
Why is transplantation the preferred treatment for ESRF?
There are three main reasons for this:
Transplantation improves a patient's chances of survival.
Dialysis drastically alters the lives of kidney patients who are necessarily dependant upon medical devices and hospital care. To a large extent, transplantation frees kidney patients from these constraints and restores their life-style.
Transplantation is far more cost-effective than dialysis. While it costs up to 30,000 every year to keep one patient on dialysis, the cost of a transplant is no more than 25,000 in the first year and subsequently much less.
Why doesn't every patient with ESRF receive a transplant?
Unfortunately, the number of patients in need of a kidney transplant in Wales greatly outnumbers the number of kidneys available. As a result, there are hundreds of families throughout Wales who are forced to spend their days waiting for a life-transforming transplant. Tragically, many kidney patients die before a suitable organ becomes available. This is why Kidney Wales is committed to raising awareness about organ donation. As a charity we are determined to help increase the number of organs available for tranplantation so that many more patients across Wales are given the chance of a new life.
