Will IgA Nephropathy Relapse after Kidney Transplant
Will IgA Nephropathy relapse after Kidney Transplant? Every patient who expects for transplanted kidney has an extreme interest on this hot topic. Some researches show that the reoccurrence rate of IgA Nephropathy to transplanted kidney varies from 50% to 80% cases.
End Stage Renal Failure( ESRD) occurs in more than 25% cases of IgA Nephropathy. When the kidneys fail completely, a kidney transplant is required to extend the patients' life. However, there is high chance of IgA Nephropathy reoccurrence to transplanted kidney.Some researches show that the reoccurrence rate of IgA Nephropathy to transplanted kidney varies from 50% to 80% cases. The disease can return even several years or even days.
Why IgA Nephropathy reoccurs after kidney transplant?
IgA Nephropathy is an autoimmune disorder, in which the patients' immune system attacks the healthy tissues and cells.
In normal case, when the foreign pathological stuffs (antigens) invade into body, the relative antibodies are activated by immune system to defeat them. The immune complexes of antigens and antibodies will be discharged out of body through systemic circulation.
However, when immune system is activated improperly, the immune complexes will build up in blood. As there are binding epitopes for the immune complexes, they will flow into kidneys and deposit there. The body mounts an inflammatory response to remove these foreign harmful substances, resulting in damage to glomeruli (filters) in kidneys. Afterwards, a series of symptoms occur such as proteinuria, Hematuria etc.
In Kidney Transplant, although the diseased kidney is replaced by a healthy kidney, the patients' immune system is not regulated yet. Therefore, the patients' immune system may attack the transplanted kidney again, triggering the reoccurrence of IgA Nephropathy.
Do I have other choices, except for kidney transplant?
Immunotherapy is a new and alternative therapy for IgA Nephropathy other than kidney transplant. Immunotherapy refers to a therapy that treats disease by suppressing, enhancing or inducing an immune response. Immunotherapy can remove the immune complexes in blood and kidneys. Hence, it can stop the immune injury to kidney tissues and cells immediately. And it aims at eliminating the symptoms of IgA Nephropathy by restoring the impaired kidney tissues and cells.
Immunotherapy is suggested for it not only deals with the symptoms, but also solves the underlying cause of IgA Nephropathy. This greatly decreases the relapse of the disease.
Tag: IgA Nephropathy Treatment
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