70% Kidneys Shrinking, High Creatinine 4.7, Kidney Donor

A:

Her creatinine is 4.7 which is much higher than the normal level (0.5-1.0 for healthy women) and the high creatinine is caused by kidney atrophy. Though creatinine is high, it is not necessary to begin dialysis or kidney transplant. It is still early for her to begin kidney transplant and there is still great chance to reverse her renal damages and improve her renal functions. If kidney functions can be improved, high creatinine can be lowered and she needs not to have dialysis or kidney transplant.

Kidney transplant is an effective treatment option for your sister, but as you have mentioned that it is not easy to find a matching kidney donor. However matching the kidney donor is, your sister will have to take anti-rejection drugs for the rest of her life. Long term intake of these drugs will cause many new health problems to her. What is more, kidney transplant is not a complete cure for kidney atrophy.

Before the kidney donor is found, there are a lot of things that can be done to control illness progression and protect residual kidney functions. If renal damages can be repaired and certain kidney functions can be improved, she can even avoid dialysis or kidney transplant.

There are a variety of causes for renal atrophy. It can be congenital renal hypoplasia, glomerulonephritis, end stage renal disease, renal parenchymal lesions, renal artery stenosis, renal tuberculosis, etc.

The first step is to have a thorough and careful diagnosis so as to make clear what is the underlying cause of renal atrophy. Chinese medicines have been proved to be effective at treating atrophic kidneys. Active ingredients in Chinese medicines can promote blood circulation and increase blood supply to renal tissues so as to help repair damaged renal tissues and revitalize damaged renal functions. When renal functions are gradually recovered, kidney transplant will not be the only choice for your sister.