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Last updated: 11/24/2009
Diabetes mellitus is the leading single cause of ESRD. According to the 2002 Annual Data Report of the United States Renal Data System (USRDS), 42% of non-Hispanic dialysis patients in the United States have ESRD caused by diabetes. People of Native...
American and Hispanic descent are at an elevated risk for both kidney disease and diabetes.
Hypertension (high blood pressure) is the second leading cause of ESRD in adults, accounting for 25.5% of the patient population, followed by glomerulonephritis (8.4%). African Americans are more likely to develop hypertension-related ESRD than Caucasians and Hispanics.
Among children and young adults under 20 on dialysis, glomerulonephritis is the leading cause of ESRD (31%), and hereditary, cystic, and congenital diseases account for 37%. According to USRDS, the average waiting period for a kidney transplant for patients under age 20 is 10 months, compared to the adult wait of approximately two years.
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The kidney filters blood to produce urine and can do so because of its unique anatomy. This narrated animation shows the anatomy of the kidney and how that anatomy enables the kidney to filter wastes from the blood.
For a kidney transplant, an incision is made in the lower abdomen (A). The donor kidney is connected to the patient's blood supply lower in the abdomen than the native kidneys, which are usually left in place (B). A transplanted ureter connects the donor kidney to the patient's bladder (C). (Illustration by GGS Inc.)
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Kidney transplantation or renal transplantation is the organ transplant of a kidney in a patient with end-stage renal disease. Kidney transplantation is typically classified as deceased-donor (formerly known as cadaveric) or living-donor transplantation depending on the source of the recipient organ. Living-donor renal transplants are further characterized as genetically related (living-related) or non-related (living-unrelated) transplants, depending on whether a biological relationship exists between the donor and recipient.
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As a urologist, I've found it's easier to do the PSA test and then sit down with the patient and say here's what the results mean for you. Given what we know right now, that seems a very sensible approach.
-Dr. Evan Vapnek
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