Plasmapharesis – new method for kidney transplant

5 to 10 per cent of kidney transplants are being carried out and 90 per cent are on dialysis as the blood groups do not match explained doctors continuing to be the biggest challenge for renal failure. There are 150 to 200 persons per 1,00,000 population suffering from end stage renal disease in India and the burden is very high. For a successful kidney transplant the most important factor is matching of the blood group of the donor and recipient. In 30 per cent of the cases, the blood groups do not match due to which the transplants can’t be carried out.

Dr G Sridhar, senior consultant and transplant nephrologist at Global Hospitals explained, “Recent advances in transplant are allowing for transplantation where the blood groups are not matching by using the method of plasmapharesis. This is called the incompatible kidney transplant where blood groups A, B, AB and O are making it possible to transplant kidney between some recipients and living donors. This treatment has given successful results and we are hoping that it will reduce the waiting period for transplant.”

In this method, before and after a kidney transplant, medical treatment is given to lower antibody levels in the blood and reduce the risk of rejection in the donors. It includes a process of removing anti-bodies from the blood and prescribing other medications that protect the new kidney from antibodies.

The method has shown that after successful transplant, the surgeons have to work towards prevention of rejection as early as possible by making the body accept the kidney. Dr Suresh K, senior nephrologist explained, “The key factor in this method is the level of anti bodies in the donor and recipient blood group. Fitness level of the patient and any other underlying illness also have to be checked.”

Experts state that blood group matching was a major barrier for long but this new method can be evaluated for those patients who are fit and do not have other co-morbidities like obesity and diabetes whereby their quality of life can be improved.

Box:

1)      150 to 200 people, per 1,00,000 population suffer from end stage renal disease.

2)      7000 patients suffer from End stage renal disease in Telangana and 16,800 suffer from it in Andhra Pradesh.

3)      Dialysis replaces the function of the native kidney by 50 to 60 per cent.

4)      Biggest barrier in kidney transplant has been matching blood donor.

5)      The new treatment paves way for non-matching donors by treating anti-bodies.

It can only be done on patients evaluated by nephrologists as fit for transplant and not suffering from any other conditions like obesity and diabetes.