Living with chronic kidney disease (CKD) isn’t always easy, and many people find themselves feeling overwhelmed as they navigate this diagnosis and the years that follow. If you live in or around Houston, Texas, the team at Renal Clinic of Houston is here to help you reframe the way you view chronic kidney disease.
There is plenty of encouragement out here, especially when you know where to look. Here are just five reasons to feel hopeful about life with CKD.
When it comes to developing medications for CKD, some of the world’s leading pharmaceutical corporations are hard at work. New options are currently moving through the research and development stage, and clinical trials are underway for numerous forms of drug therapy.
There are also a number of new drugs available to help manage chronic kidney disease. Some work to improve renal health while also delivering cardioprotective benefits. Some options were initially used to treat CKD in patients with diabetes, but are now known to improve kidney function in people without diabetes but who have albuminuria or heart failure.
Statins are now incorporated in treatment planning for patients with CKD and help to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. If your specialist determines you have a high risk for heart health issues, adding a statin to your drug therapy can help lower the risk of negative outcomes.
Gene therapy works by modifying your genetic makeup to treat disease. This can occur by introducing specific genes to replace faulty ones, or by adding new genes that can fight specific types of disease.
While there are multiple ways to deliver genes to targeted areas of the body, the most common is intravenous injection. This relies on the bloodstream to transport gene therapies to the liver, but it isn’t the greatest at targeting kidney cells in particular, and can cause damage to the liver.
At least one group of researchers is hard at work improving delivery routes for gene therapy to reach the kidneys. Options include using adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors as well as administering injections directly into the renal vein or renal pelvis (the center of the kidney).
For many years, having a positive diagnosis for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) meant that you couldn’t be considered for a kidney transplant, which is a life-saving treatment approach for many people with advanced kidney disease.
But recent and ongoing research is painting a different picture, one that supports the ability of HIV-positive patients to accept a donor kidney from a patient with HIV and thrive. There are also studies taking a look at the outcomes for people who receive transplanted kidneys from HIV-positive and HIV-negative donors to see if there are health risks associated with kidney donation from individuals known to have HIV.
While medication, gene therapy, dialysis, and organ transplantation are all powerful tools in fighting chronic kidney disease, there’s a lot to be said for the power of lifestyle changes in managing CKD.
The choices you make each day in regard to how you fuel your body and how much activity you fit into your routines can have a dramatic impact on how your body feels and functions. This means you can take action on your own, outside of a medical office or surgical suite.
Replacing highly processed or otherwise unhealthy foods with more fruit, vegetables, lean proteins, and healthy fats nurtures all of the cells in your body, including your kidneys. Even making small changes in your daily diet can yield improvements and help you achieve a higher quality of life.
Chronic kidney disease takes a toll on your physical health, but it can also damage your mental and emotional health. Recent research published by the National Kidney Foundation underscores the importance that hope plays for patients living with CKD.
Hope is a source of strength and also a therapeutic element for people who experience chronic disease. Even on your darkest days, there is always hope that better times are yet to come. At Renal Clinic of Houston, we’re here to help highlight all that you can be hopeful about, including the highly personalized care we offer patients from the greater Houston, Texas region. Call today to schedule your visit.
