Granulomatosis with polyangiitis is a rare scenario of the blood vessels that can harm your kidneys, lungs, and other parts of the human body by decreasing blood flow.
It may worsen very fast. Since, it is essential to treat it early to prevent permanent organ damage, such as kidney loss.
GPA may also further damage your kidneys by reducing the amount of blood that reaches them. This may lower your kidneys’ capacity to strain the waste and liquid from your blood.
GPA may cause kidney failure if it is not treated properly. If your kidneys fail to work, you may need dialysis or a kidney transplant treatment to save your life.
Types of Kidney Transplant
Kidney transplants are the very common type of organ transplant performed nowadays. The kidneys usually filter waste from the blood vessel.
If the child’s kidney does not work effectively, they may be advised for a kidney transplant. To determine if a kidney transplant is needed for your child, you should take too many tests.
A kidney transplant helps to place a healthy kidney in your child’s body with the deceased donor kidney. Because your child’s kidney can no longer be active.
Generally, there are two types of kidney transplants available. They are Deceased-donor kidney transplants, Living-donor kidney transplants.
Deceased Donor Kidney Transplant
When a kidney has to be taken out, a deceased donor kidney transplant happens when a kidney is taken out from a deceased donor.
This is surgically transplanted into the body of a patient whose own kidneys are diseased or not working properly.
A deceased donor is a person who has passed away and does not has an affected organ planned for transplant.
Deceased donor organs generally come from people who have planned to donate their organs before death by marking organ donor cards.
If your doctor is advised for a kidney transplant, then this is the right choice for you to get a deceased kidney.
Living Donor Kidney Transplant
A living donor transplant is a process during which a kidney is extracted from a healthy donor and surgically positioned for someone with kidney failure.
The living donor mostly is an immediate family member. They may be parents, siblings, or children. The living donor may also be an uncle, aunt, cousin, partner, or friend.
The donor may also be strangers who want to help the patient.
A living donor transplant has many benefits over a deceased donor kidney transplant, the most significant being an extremely higher success rate.
A kidney from a living donor usually functions immediately after the kidney transplant. A deceased donor’s kidney could take many days or weeks to function.
This living donor transplant may be prepared, letting the recipient and donor prepare time.
You may not know when a deceased donor kidney is available, and surgery could be performed very soon after you get the kidney.
There may not be any risk of rejection, particularly if a blood relative donates the kidney. You should shorten the amount of time, and you have to wait to get a kidney transplant.
The usual waiting time for a deceased donor kidney might be three to five years.
What is Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis (GPA)?
Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), usually known as Wegener’s Granulomatosis, is an autoimmune disorder.
An autoimmune disorder may happen when your body’s immune system suffers and destroys healthy tissue. This condition may cause inflammation, swelling, and irritation in blood vessels and other tissues.
This inflammation decreases or prevents the blood flow to organs in the body. The condition mainly affects the respiratory system.
This may include the sinuses, windpipe, nose, and lungs. It may also affect the kidneys. But it may damage most of the organs in the body.
Causes of GPA
You may not clearly understand the cause of GPA. Vasculitis is usually classified as an autoimmune disorder, a disease that happens when the body’s natural defense wrongly attacks the healthy tissues.
The abnormal function of white blood cells (neutrophils) is mainly involved in the disease.
Doctors believe an infection is because of the onset of GPA, but it is improbable that infection alone may explain this complicated disorder.
Environmental conditions and genetic factors play an important role as well.
Nose
Nosebleeds and Nasal crusting mostly occur due to the erosion and perforation of the nasal septum. The nose bridge may collapse, resulting in a saddle–nose deformity.
This may be due to the collapse of the nasal septum induced by cartilage inflammation. This deformity may occur before and after cosmetic surgery.
This patient surely has Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis, but a similar lesion may happen in Relapsing Polychondritis.
Trachea
A typical respiratory tract complication of Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis will narrow the windpipe just below the vocal cords, and this condition is called subglottic stenosis.
This narrows down the inflammation and scarring that causes problems in breathing and may necessitate emergency tracheostomy behind a subacute progression.
Kidney Transplant and Survival of GPA Improvement
The patients with end-stage renal disease may due to Granulomatosis with polyangiitis. A type of ANCA-associated vasculitis lives especially long after acquiring a kidney transplant.
This was mainly due to a 90% reduction in the risk for cardiovascular death. The results recommend that promptly guiding these patients for a kidney transplant is key to survival.
Survival may be improved with renal transplantation for end-stage renal disease due to Granulomatosis with polyangiitis.
Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), which is a condition indicated by inflammation of small blood vessels, maybe the reason for kidney disease among the patients.
A survey is taken from the huge number of people that find out that End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD).
When the kidneys no longer work as there might be a condition that can only be resolved with a kidney transplant.
GPA with ESRD is related to a high risk of death, generally due to severe cardiovascular events. But, kidney transplants might decrease the risk.
Even with presently available treatment modalities, ESRD is a common complication of Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) in many patients.
Transplantation is often used for ESRD but has not been used widely in GPA.
The recent analysis evaluates the benefits of transplantation in developing surgical or prisons with GPA approximated to remaining on the waiting list.
Kidney Transplant Cost
It is essential to think about the cost of any primary surgery before a patient opts for it. Patients who are suggested for dialysis have to spend more for each session.
It is recommended to check their insurance plans to check the coverage of the Dialysis method and the transplant.
The cost of a kidney transplant in India is low compared to other countries.
But, due to more competition among healthcare services, many hospitals in India provide state-of-the-art treatments at affordable rates.
Thus, you may pick a tremendous cost difference when comparing different cities in India.
Final Thoughts
If you are a GPA patient, your clinical group will give the needed information about the disease severity. This will help you to treat the disease in a better way.
Depending upon the disease severity and causes produced because of GPA, the doctor will suggest you for a kidney transplant.
Sandra is a health blogger based in San Diego, California. She is passionate about living a healthy lifestyle. She loves being outdoors and exploring new places with her husband. She is a mom of two awesome kids and a dog named Luna!