A New Hope for Kidney Failure Patients with Kidney Transplantation

Hermina's friend—did you know?

Kidneys are organs that play an important role in maintaining balance in our body. Which controls fluid balance, keeps electrolyte levels stable, prevents the body's metabolic waste from accumulating in the blood vessels, and produces the hormone erythropoietin, which stimulates the bone marrow to produce red blood cells.

Therefore, kidney function is very important to maintain overall body health. Because if the kidneys do not function properly, it can lead to kidney failure (a disease with decreased kidney function). This condition occurs when one or both kidneys can no longer function optimally. Sometimes kidney failure is temporary and occurs quickly. But other times, kidney failure is a chronic disease that can slowly get worse over a long period of time. This requires serious medical attention.

The following are symptoms of kidney failure:.
To minimize worse conditions, be aware of the following CKD symptoms, including:
1. High blood pressure
2. There is blood in the urine.
3. Weaknesses and sleep disturbances
4. Loss of appetite
5. Itching, nausea, and vomiting
6. Headache and shortness of breath
7. Changes in the frequency and amount of urination in a day
8. Swelling of the legs, ankles, and eyelids in the morning.

Kidney transplantation is a therapeutic method in which a healthy kidney (obtained through donation) is used through a surgical procedure. Kidney transplants can be done from three sources of kidney donors, namely:
1. Relative living donor (related donor)
2. Living donors are not relatives (non-related donors).
3. Deceased donor (cadaver)

This is aimed at living like a normal person and having a much better quality of life, thus improving the patient's quality of life.

Therefore, because kidney transplantation is classified as a large-scale medical procedure, there are several processes involved in kidney transplantation that are important for both medical personnel and patients to understand.

The preparations required include general examinations, starting from physical examinations such as blood tests, X-rays, CT scans, or MRIs, to psychological examinations to ensure the patient's physical and mental readiness. In general, the examination at this stage takes several days. Another examination that is needed is a test to assess and ensure compatibility with the donor kidney. This aims to determine the body's potential for rejection of the new organ being transplanted.

If Hermina's friends experience symptoms as described, Immediately consult your health care provider at Hermina Daan Mogot Hospital.