Renal transplantation, an effective tool for chronically ill patients

 HAVANA, Cuba, Feb 25 (ACN) More than 6,500 kidney transplants have been performed in Cuba, with an 80 % survival rate, since this first successful procedure was carried out in the country on February 24, 1970, an effective tool to improve the quality of life of patients with chronic kidney disease, Yamile Garcia Aguilera, director of the National Institute of Nephrology, said .

During a scientific workshop held at the health entity to commemorate the 55th anniversary of this milestone of public health in Cuba, the specialist referred that the alternative therapy is located at the vertex of an integral program for the care of the patient that has among its aspects the promotion of health, prevention, research and medical assistance.

It is based on the family doctor's offices and evolves to those institutions equipped with the technology for the implementation of dialysis treatment, she pointed out.

The expert emphasized that the main objective in Nephrology is the prevention of the pathology, to investigate the chronic patient in the earliest stages, and in collaboration with the family doctor to treat the causes of this disease, seeking to stop the evolution or slow down its progression.
She highlighted the existence of a national program for organ exchange between health institutions in Cuba, based on immunological and priority criteria that allow selecting the best match between donor and recipient.

There are also modern immunosuppression methods and advanced technology for the diagnosis of rejection and other associated complications, the source added.

The evaluation of encephalic death, as a result of the development of science, has made it possible to have the organ in a more viable way and with a minimum of time by improving the surgical technique and the means of preservation, Garcia Aguilera pointed out.

There are currently 58 Nephrological Services in the country, in which an average of 3,500 patients are treated with dialysis methods.

Chronic kidney disease is a worldwide epidemic largely associated with the aging of the population, diabetes mellitus, arterial hypertension, obesity, primary kidney diseases, among other risk factors.