Close to 600,000 individuals suffer from end stage renal disease, or ESRD. Without properly functioning kidneys, your body cannot clear waste products and fluid. Most of these individuals will require dialysis, however some may be fortunate enough...
Research shows that there is a high correlation between a lack of vitamin D and kidney transplants, though the specific reason is unknown. Your body needs vitamin D to maintain normal levels of phosphorus and calcium in your blood. Calcium is...
A kidney transplant is performed to treat end-stage kidney disease. The glomerular filtration rate, which determines the extent and stage of kidney disease, can tell a doctor how well the kidneys are working. After a transplant, several drugs must...
Each person is born with two kidneys, one on either side of the spine. The kidneys are small but mighty machines that each filter about 45 gallons of blood each day to remove toxins from your body. They're the body's filtration system that...
When people reach the end of the useful life of one or both of their kidneys through disease, the option beyond dialysis--a mechanical medical cleaning procedure that substitutes for the work of the kidneys--is typically transplantation. Because...
Kidney transplantation is among the most complicated of medical procedures. While transplantation techniques and patient outcomes have improved, it is important to choose a top quality transplant center to ensure that kidney donation and...
In 2009, 38 percent of the 16,830 kidney transplants were made possible by the bravery and generosity of living kidney donors. In that year, 6,388 lives were changed because of this life-saving act. All of those donors were willing to undergo...
Kidney transplant patients must tolerate many post-transplant medical conditions, including the likelihood of gout attacks. Gout, a type of arthritis resulting from uric acid crystals accumulating in the joints, often affects the big toe but can...
Unless a patient has a donor already lined up, a kidney transplant candidate must join the wait list for a cadaver organs. Qualifying for this wait list involves an extensive evaluation. According to the National Institute of Diabetes and...
If you're scheduled to undergo a kidney transplant, you're probably more focused on the surgery itself than on your diet after the procedure is complete. However, you may be happy to learn that your diet following the transplant will not be as...
Now that you've gotten a brand new kidney, you need to take good care of it. While post-transplant dietary guidelines are nowhere near as limiting as the ones you experienced as you approached end-stage disease, they're just as important. Before...
A solution to end-stage renal disease often involves a kidney transplant. A healthy donor kidney replaces the function of the diseased kidney during the surgical procedure. The diseased kidneys remain in place unless there are signs of infection,...
The two bean-shaped organs called kidneys are fist-size filters located below your rib cage and in the area near your middle back. The kidneys filter blood and remove waste, including urine, from your body. Kidney failure, which is often caused by...
Chronic kidney failure, or chronic kidney disease (CKD), affects approximately 23 million adult Americans, according to the National Institutes of Health. Initially, treatment for CKD focuses on slowing kidney damage by addressing the underlying...
After a kidney transplant, you may wonder what special circumstances you need to consider for diet and exercise. Transplant medication, such as prednisone, helps decrease the risk of organ rejection but often causes fluid retention and an increase...
Immediately after a kidney transplant, your body is under stress and energy and protein needs may be higher. However, your estimated needs normalize after the transplant and are similar to those of the general population, with specific attention...
Kidney transplant is a treatment for kidney failure, and many patients are surprised to learn that it is not a cure. The underlying disease that caused the kidney failure in the first place often continues unabated. A new post-transplant patient...
If you've had a successful kidney transplant, you may find that you now have much greater dietary freedom. The types of dietary restrictions required in late-stage kidney disease and dialysis are often quite severe, limiting various types of foods...
A kidney transplant constitutes a major surgery where a foreign kidney from a donor is placed in your body for better organ function. Despite the procedure and what it entails, the recovery period is fairly short in comparison to similar...
A kidney transplant is a major type of surgery that involves replacing a damaged or diseased kidney with another, either from a cadaver or live donor. The damaged kidney can be left in the body unless its presence will cause continued or further...
Hypertension is a critical issue for kidney patients---the National Kidney Foundation notes that more kidney patients die from cardiovascular problems than from kidney problems. High blood pressure remains a serious concern even after a...
Organ donor programs refer to the donated organ as the "gift of life." This name is especially applicable for kidneys. Given that the five-year survival rate for patients on dialysis between 2002 to 2007 was a mere 33.6 percent and the wait for a...
After your kidney transplant, your nephrologist will regularly test your blood and urine. The many lab tests he will order include measuring the protein in your urine. Healthy kidneys keep protein in the blood. Protein getting lost into the urine...
Kidney transplants are among the most common transplant procedures in the United States and are typically performed on patients who have kidney failure. In most cases, you'll need to take various medications after a kidney transplant, namely drugs...
The treatment of pediatric renal insufficiency can be quite complicated. The kidneys play a role in filtering and eliminating waste, maintaining fluid and electrolyte balance, keeping the blood pressure in normal range, producing red blood cells...
Cyclosporine is a difficult drug to manage. Not only is getting a consistent serum concentration difficult, it also can cause some of the very conditions that it is calculated to cure. This paradoxical effect happens with several kidney...
Consuming two servings of fish a week can provide many health benefits. For people who do not like to eat fish, taking fish oil supplements can provide some of the same health benefits. Fish oil supplements contain the essential omega-3 fatty...
Regardless of whether the new kidney comes from a friend, family member or cadaver, kidney transplants greatly enhance the recipient's quality of life. In addition to being freed from dialysis, patients are also freed from onerous dietary...
Like other vital organs, kidneys develop early during pregnancy. They can be visualized using ultrasound by the 14th to 16th week. According to the Cornell Department of Pediatric Urology, "the internal architecture of the kidneys" can be...
