Reducing the need for dialysis

[okarol]

HealthFirst

Reducing the need for dialysis

Monday, February 04, 2008 | 3:29 PM
Medical news from abc12.com
By Leslie LoBue

UNDATED (WJRT) -- (02/04/08)-- More than 70,000 Americans are waiting for a kidney transplant. A third of them are on dialysis, and aren't eligible for a transplant because their antibodies are too high, making the risk of rejection almost unavoidable.

HealthFirst reporter Leslie LoBue says a new medical breakthrough may get them off dialysis for good.
All the pieces of 27-year-old Lakeisha Hall's life are finally coming together.  At 15, she was told she was losing her kidneys.  "It started out as a kidney infection, which then turned into a disease."  After that, her teen years were spent on dialysis. "At first it was hard. I didn't like it. I hated going on dialysis." But it's a disease her entire family is fighting for her. Lakeisha's sister, brother and mother have all donated their kidney to give her a chance at the life she dreams of living.  "That is the hardest part is just seeing her over and over again never giving up. Never," said Lakeisha's mother Juanita Hall. Lakeisha, like many people waiting for kidney transplant, has high levels of anti-donor antibodies caused by too many transfusions. Dr. Stanley Jordan is the director of nephrology Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Los Angeles. "These antibodies they develop will cause rejection of the organs almost immediately." Intravenous immunoglobulin therapy, or IVIG therapy, is giving patients new hope.  "IVIG is able to block these antibodies and to allow people to get a transplant when the antibodies are low," Jordan said. During two, four-hour dialysis treatments, patients are given blood containing a mix of immunoglobulins, which block harmful antibodies from injuring a donated kidney. IVIG allowed Lakeisha to go ahead with her kidney transplant.  Now she's making plans for the future.   "I want to go on vacation. I want to go on vacation with no dialysis."  Lakeisha recently finished her treatment and was able to return home to Louisiana. She says she's doing well and will even be back to work this month!

http://abclocal.go.com/wjrt/story?section=news/health&id=5934463

[kitkatz]

That was misleading title on this article. That was a transplant plug, not less dialysis. Sheez!

[okarol]

Yeah, it should have been "Eliminating the need for dialysis" - but I never change the titles from what the news group runs.