Kidney Transplant in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia-

A surgery in which a healthy kidney from a donor is put to use in a person who has failed kidneys is called a Kidney Transplant . When the kidneys lose their ability to work normally due to a disease, most often, diabetes or high blood pressure it is known as Kidney failure. In the operation, the unhealthy kidney is disconnected, while the new healthy kidney is cautiously linked to their blood vessels and the bladder.

The person who gets a new kidney after the surgery, needs some medications in order to avoid rejection of the new organ by the body system. These drugs are essential in the process where the body accepts the new kidney and maintains its work in good condition. With a successful kidney transplant, many people will be able to avoid dialysis, which is a treatment that cleans the patient’s blood when the kidneys are not working properly.

When do you need Kidney Transplant?

You might need a kidney transplant in case your kidneys are not performing well enough to maintain your general well-being. This may occur if you happen to have a disease like diabetes or high blood pressure that can lead to kidney damages over time. Under this circumstance, wastes and excess water accumulate in your body causing you to feel unwell. When the medicines and treatments like dialysis do not achieve the needed level of effect, a doctor might recommend kidney transplant as a way of replacing the damaged kidneys with a healthy one.

A physician will look at a few aspects prior to suggesting a kidney transplant. They will examine how your kidneys are functionally strong, your overall health and if you have any other medical conditions that may cause transplant failure.

Are there any options other than Kidney Transplant?

Dialysis: Through this therapy, the excess waste and fluid from the blood are eliminated when the kidneys are not able to do it sufficiently.

Kidney Biopsy: In some patients, a kidney biopsy is needed to take a small piece of kidney tissue for further examination with a microscope. This is a diagnostic tool that helps to determine the root of kidney disease as well as the best treatment option.

Plasmapheresis: This process involves taking out, treating, and then returning the blood plasma to the body. It may be helpful with specific cases of kidney failure in removing harmful substances from the patient’s blood, specifically antibodies that exacerbate kidney damage.

Nephrectomy: One or both kidneys are surgically removed, it can be done in the most severe cases of kidney failure where the kidneys are severely damaged, infected and pose a risk to the overall health.

Are you Eligible for a Kidney Transplant?

Kidney Function: Kidney function is reduced by 20% of normal function or less, dialysis becomes imperative.

No Active Infections or Cancer: Absence of active infections or some kinds of tumor that would raise the risk of complications during or after the procedure.

No Substance Abuse: Absence of substance abuse related problems, since they can affect the post-operative care and cause more complications.

Evaluation by Transplant Team: A comprehensive evaluation by a transplant team of medical and surgical nature, to ascertain eligibility and suitability for a kidney transplant.

Risks and complications associated with Kidney Transplant –

Rejection: The immune system of the recipient may see the transplanted kidney as a foreign organ and attack it. This can be a few days after the transplant or even a few years later.

Side effects of medications: The immunosuppressant medications used to prevent rejection can have side effects such as high risk of infection, elevated blood pressure, diabetes, and bone deformity (osteoporosis).

Surgical complications: Similarly, any surgery has risks such as bleeding, clots, infections of the surgical site or the damage of neighboring organs.

Recurrence of underlying kidney disease: Sometimes the initial kidney disease that caused kidney failure can come back in the transplanted kidney.

Cardiovascular disease: Post-kidney transplant recipients have twice the risk of developing cardiovascular disease like heart attack and stroke as compared with the general population.

HLA matching in kidney transplant –

HLA matching in kidney transplant is an issue of choosing the best puzzle piece to fit into a puzzle. HLA is another term for the human leukocyte antigens, which are markers on our body’s cells that indicate whether something belongs in our bodies or not. In the case of kidney transplant, surgeons search for donors whose HLA markers are close to those of the recipient. This approach in effect decreases the probability of the immune system of the recipient recognizing the new kidney as a “foreign object” and rejecting it. In short, the more closely HLA compliant the donor and recipient are, the more successful the transplantation is going to be. It’s almost like finding a part that fits in a puzzle so the new kidney can work very well in its new place.

Types of HLA Test for Kidney Transplant-

HLA Typing: It is sort of like the identification check between the body’s cells and the invaders. There are two types: Class I (on the majority of cells) and Class II (immune cells mostly).

Class I HLAs: These ‘ID cards’ give instructions to the immune system whether cells are normal or foreign. In case of incompatibility, immune system will attack.

Class II HLAs: They are very similar to the “guards” that are detecting and alerting the immune system about the intruders. When there is a mismatch, the transplant could get rejected.

Crossmatching: Think of it as a trial run before the transplant is done. It is a test that determines if the host tissues accept or reject the donor’s cells of the graft. If there is no response, it means that the transplant is said to have been successful.

HLA test for Kidney Transplant average cost in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia-

Types of Kidney Transplants –

Living Donor Transplant: A healthy person donates their kidney to someone with kidney failure. The donor and the recipient both undergo surgery.

Deceased Donor Transplant: A kidney from a dead person is transplanted to a patient who is waiting. The compatible donated kidney is then matched with the recipient based on blood type and tissue compatibility.

Paired Exchange Program: If a donor living is not a match of their recipient, they could exchange kidneys with another incompatible donor-recipient pair thus creating matches for both the recipients to receive compatible kidneys.

ABO-Incompatible Transplant: A transplant when the donor and recipient have different blood types.Specific treatments are given before and after the transplant to avoid recipient’s immune system from rejecting the received kidney.

Pre-emptive Transplant: A transplant before a person has to be put on dialysis. This will happen when a live donor is available and the recipient’s kidney function is declining but it’s not as serious as it needs dialysis.

Average Kidney Transplant cost in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia-

Kidney Transplant Cost in Government Hospitals in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia –

Best Government Hospitals in Ethiopia to get your Kidney Transplant done –

Kidney Transplant in Private Hospitals in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia –

Best Private Hospitals in Ethiopia to get your Kidney Transplant done –

Recent advancements in the field of Kidney Transplant in Ethiopia –

Increased Access to Transplant Services: Such improvements could be facilitated through additional efforts to develop specialized transplant centers or enhance existing facilities to render comprehensive care to transplant recipients.

Improvements in Surgical Techniques: Surgeons in Ethiopia could have introduced advanced surgical technologies to make kidney transplants more safely and effectively done, which may lead to shorter recovery times and good patient outcomes.

Enhanced Post-Transplant Care: The concept of post-transplant care might have been improved through the creation of multidisciplinary teams, which can consist of nephrologists, surgeons, and other professionals for the provision of holistic and personalized care for the transplant recipients.

Increased Public Awareness and Education: Attempts at raising awareness about kidney disease, organ donation and the positive effects of transplantation might have been done to persuade more people to become donors and also to provide patients with necessary information on treatment options.

Who will perform the Kidney Transplant?

The urologist and the nephrologist perform different surgical procedures within the kidney transplant. The urologist is like a skillful builder who does the hard work ensuring removal of the diseased kidney and then attaching the new kidney to the recipient human body. They check whether all components are in the proper connection in order to ensure that the new kidney performs as intended.

While the nephrologist is the one who can visualize the internal workings of the kidneys like the detective could see inside the human body. Before the transplant they tend to check the health status of the recipients to find whether they’re ready for surgery or not. After the transplant, they carefully monitor the kidney function of the recipient and ensure care of medications to prevent transplant rejection.

Best Urologists and Nephrologists in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia –

Kidney Transplant Procedure:

Before the surgery: The recipient and the donor have to have tests and evaluations to make sure they are fit to have a transplant. The recipient team of doctors matches the right donor among the living or deceased kind.

Surgery: This procedure involves putting the recipient under anesthesia to go to sleep and then making an incision in either the lower abdomen or side. The damaged kidney is extracted, and the donor’s healthy kidney is then transplanted in the same place.

Recovery: After the surgery, the recipient remains at the hospital under observation for several days.They’re intensely followed for any indicators of trouble or the organ rejection. The hospitalization time of the donor after surgery is also less.

Post-transplant Care: While the patient leaves the hospital, he/she is prescribed anti-rejection drugs to ensure that the new kidney is not rejected. They will have routine visits with their transplant unit to determine the health of their new kidney and make necessary changes to medications. Through proper handling, several people can have an improved quality of life after their kidneys are replaced, as now the new kidney performs what their own kidneys couldn’t do.

FAQs

1.How long does a kidney transplant operation take?

A kidney transplant operation usually lasts anywhere between 3 and 5 hours. Nevertheless, the patient’s experience can vary depending on the complexity of the surgery and any unexpected complications.

2.How long does it take to recover from kidney transplantation?

The recovery period following a kidney transplant is unique to each individual, although it can take several weeks up to months. Patients usually stay in the hospital 2 – 7 days after the operation and then recover at home. It is critical to adhere to the post-transplant care instructions given by the medical team and attend routine appointment as scheduled.

3.What risks and complications are connected with the kidney transplant?

Although the kidney transplant is often thought to be safe, it is associated with some risks and side effects such as infection, rejection of the new kidney, side effects of the immunosuppressive drugs, and complications from the surgery including blood loss and blood clots. A strict monitoring and sticking to the prescribed drug regimen has been proven to reduce the risk of these side effects.