When you have complement 3 (C3) glomerulopathy, a problem with your immune system can damage your kidneys. You’ll take medicine to control your immune system and protect your kidneys. But eventually, about half of people with this condition develop end-stage renal disease.
Your kidneys remove wastes and extra fluid from your blood. These two bean-shaped organs also help control your blood pressure and make important hormones.
Kidney failure is when your kidneys don't work well enough to do these jobs. It's a serious condition because wastes and fluid build up in your body and cause all sorts of problems.
You can still live an active, normal life with kidney failure. But you will need treatment to take over the jobs your kidneys used to do.
Choosing a Treatment for End-Stage Kidney Disease
The choice of treatment for kidney failure is an important decision that involves some careful thought. Your kidney specialist (nephrologist) will help you decide on a treatment based on:
- How much kidney function you still have left
- Your symptoms
- Your overall health
You have two options for treating end-stage kidney failure: dialysis and a kidney transplant.
Dialysis
Dialysis filters wastes and extra fluid from your blood the way your damaged kidneys used to do.This process takes over other kidney functions, such as keeping the right balance of chemicals like sodium and potassium in your blood. You'll need to stay on dialysis for the rest of your life or until you get a kidney transplant.
You can have dialysis in one of two ways.
Hemodialysis filters your blood through a machine called a dialyzer. You can get this treatment at a dialysis center or hospital about three times a week, or you can do it at home more frequently.
During each hemodialysis treatment, your blood flows into the machine through a soft tube placed into a blood vessel in your arm. The blood goes into a filter before returning to the body.
A solution inside the machine called dialysate contains water, salt, and other substances that pull wastes out of your blood. Blood cells, protein, and other things you need go back into your body. The whole process takes about 4 hours if you are doing it at a center. Home treatments can be shorter and more frequent.
Peritoneal dialysis cleans your blood at home. It uses the lining of your belly, called the peritoneum, as a filter to draw wastes and extra water out of your blood. Before you start peritoneal dialysis, you'll need surgery to place a soft tube called a catheter into your belly.
There are two ways to do peritoneal dialysis:
- Continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) is a process you do yourself. You drain the dialysate out of your belly and refill it with fresh dialysate. This is called an exchange. It takes about 40 minutes, and you do it about four times a day.
- Continuous cyclic peritoneal dialysis (CCPD) uses a machine called a cycler to do the exchanges at night while you sleep. You may then also put fluid into your belly in the morning and leave it in all day.
Kidney Transplant
If you choose dialysis, you must continue with it for the rest of your life. A kidney transplant, on the other hand, is a longer-term treatment for kidney failure caused by C3 glomerulopathy.
A transplant replaces your damaged kidney with a healthy one. The new kidney can come from a stranger who has died, although the waiting lists for a donor kidney are long. Or it can come from a living relative or friend.
It's important to go into this procedure with the understanding that a kidney transplant is major surgery, and it isn't a cure. You'll need to take medicines every day to prevent your body from rejecting the new organ.
C3 glomerulopathy can also come back after a transplant and damage your new organ. Your doctor will monitor you carefully after the surgery and give you treatments to reduce the chance of problems.
Living With Kidney Failure
Kidney failure brings a lot of challenges. Both dialysis and kidney transplant are life-changing procedures that will take a lot of work on your part.
Having kidney failure can bring a lot of stress and uncertainty into your life. Add to that stress that C3 glomerulopathy is a rare disease, so the people in your life might not understand your condition or why your kidneys aren't working.
To give yourself the best chance of managing kidney failure, learn all you can about the condition. Find a nephrologist you trust – someone who is an expert in treating C3 glomerulopathy. Follow your doctor's advice about diet, taking your medication, and taking any other treatments you need to stay healthy. Pay attention to your emotional well-being, too.
Because of the major ways it changes your life, end-stage kidney failure can lead to sadness, anxiety, and depression. Through either dialysis or kidney transplant, you will have the chance to connect with a social worker with special expertise in these procedures. Social workers advocate for you and help you navigate and coordinate all the different forms of care and medical visits you’ll need. They may also recommend resources and services that could benefit you.
Perhaps most importantly, social workers provide emotional support to help you cope with your condition. When needed, they can connect you with other help for your mental and emotional well-being. If you feel you have become sad, anxious, or depressed because of your kidney failure, don’t hesitate to discuss it with your social worker. If you haven’t yet met a social worker, ask a member of your care team to refer you to one.
Show Sources
Photo Credit: LIFE IN VIEW / Science Source
SOURCES:
American Kidney Fund: "Peritoneal Dialysis."
Kidney Fund: "Peritoneal Dialysis."
Medical Sciences: "Treatment of C3 Glomerulopathy in Adult Kidney Transplant Recipients: A Systematic Review."
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases: "Kidney Transplant," "Peritoneal Dialysis."
National Kidney Foundation: "Choosing a Treatment for Kidney Failure," "Dialysis," "Hemodialysis," "Kidney Failure," "Peritoneal Dialysis," "Treatment for C3G."
National Library of Medicine: "C3 Glomerulopathy."
Nature Reviews Nephrology: "C3 Glomerulopathy – Understanding a Rare Complement-Driven Renal Disease."
Nephcure Kidney International: "C3 Glomerulopathy (formerly known as MPGN)."
