Medical Innovations: Making Big Breakthroughs In Kidney Failure Treatment

Nearly 2.5 lakh people in India die due to kidney diseases every year and this has emerged as a major challenge for the medical fraternity. However, over the years some medical innovations are making big breakthroughs in kidney treatment. Artificial Kidney, Portable Dialysis Machine and Stem Cell Therapy are among those innovations which are proving very effective. Moreover, new advancements in kidney treatment could end the need for compatible donors as well.

Kidney diseases occur when an individual suffers from a gradual and permanent loss of kidney function over time. These could be acute or chronic renal diseases. In acute kidney disorder, an individual may have temporary functional loss whereas during chronic the kidneys become irreversible and therefore fail to perform daily functions. Due to this abnormality, acids, waste and fluid keeps building up inside body, thereby causing weakness, vomiting, ankle swelling and poor sleep, besides being host of other cardiac and pulmonary diseases.

In critical conditions, the patients are advised to be on dialysis frequently. But to lead a good quality of life and to regain back the normal kidney function, kidney transplant is the only available option. However, to get a compatible donor kidney has always raised concerns as average waiting time to receive a kidney from a deceased donor is extremely variable ranging from months to years, depending on the blood type.

Even though dialysis is regarded as the only successful therapy it has several limitations. One possible reason is that the quality of life of patients who are on dialysis is suboptimal, besides the cost of these procedures is too high. They are not rehabilitated in their jobs.

Thus, the medical fraternity had been always in search of some alternative treatment options to avoid dialysis and kidney transplantation, especially in the end stage renal disease (ESRD) patients.