Kidney Matters - Issue 15 Winter 2021
Kidney Matters is our free quarterly magazine for everyone affected by kidney disease. This issue includes features on learning to accept and embrace changes to your body, celebrating black kidney donors throughout Black History Month, fluid management, diabetes after transplantation, and an article all about how a young working mother of two children coped with her CKD diagnosis. As well as this, the Kidney Kitchen features a delicious, low potassium Christmas pudding! We know that being a kidney patient can be tough at times and that accessing the right help at the right time isn’t always easy. We’ve spent a great deal of time over the past year talking to kidney patients on dialysis, asking them what we can do to address this. The response was overwhelmingly ‘improved communication’ on what is going on in the kidney world and what is available to them in terms of support and how to access it. Kidney Matters has been developed to tackle this as well as the many other issues kidney patients face in day-to-day life. Along with shared patient experiences, Kidney Matters provides information on how to access emotional and practical support, financial assistance through our grant schemes, advice from leading kidney specialists and tips on how to keep as well as possible by eating a healthy diet whilst on dialysis.
Kidney Matters is our free quarterly magazine for everyone affected by kidney disease.
This issue includes features on learning to accept and embrace changes to your body, celebrating black kidney donors throughout Black History Month, fluid management, diabetes after transplantation, and an article all about how a young working mother of two children coped with her CKD diagnosis.
As well as this, the Kidney Kitchen features a delicious, low potassium Christmas pudding!
We know that being a kidney patient can be tough at times and that accessing the right help at the right time isn’t always easy. We’ve spent a great deal of time over the past year talking to kidney patients on dialysis, asking them what we can do to address this. The response was overwhelmingly ‘improved communication’ on what is going on in the kidney world and what is available to them in terms of support and how to access it.
Kidney Matters has been developed to tackle this as well as the many other issues kidney patients face in day-to-day life. Along with shared patient experiences, Kidney Matters provides information on how to access emotional and practical support, financial assistance through our grant schemes, advice from leading kidney specialists and tips on how to keep as well as possible by eating a healthy diet whilst on dialysis.
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way you must talk to your kidney doctor. Very low
calorie diets are highly restrictive and should only be
followed under medical supervision to ensure that you
get enough essential vitamins and minerals.
“We do not recommend very low calorie diets to help
you lose weight or to remit PTDM after a transplant
because we need to be careful about vitamin
deficiencies and fluid intake in order to protect your
transplanted kidney. There are, however, other less
restrictive diets that can help you lose weight, but
always check with your renal dietitian,” he advises.
Why should we worry about PTDM?
PTDM is a cause for concern because it is associated
with an increased risk of transplant failure and
of cardiovascular complications such as heart
disease and stroke. To reduce the likelihood of these
complications, it is essential to optimise blood glucose
control and manage other risk factors.
“If you have PTDM or any other type of diabetes,
treatment is not just about glucose control. The
cornerstone of diabetes management is a healthy
diet and lifestyle. Smoking cessation is extremely
important, and blood pressure and cholesterol should
be as well controlled as possible to reduce your
cardiovascular risk,” says Tahseen.
In some transplant centres there are joint hospital
clinics by kidney doctors and diabetes specialists
for people with uncontrolled hyperglycaemia. It is,
however, not possible for everyone with PTDM to be
followed up by a specialist, and most people will be
looked after by their general practice team.
Tahseen says: “If you have PTDM, it is really important
to make sure that you are added to the primary care
diabetes register and that your GP is involved in your
care. It sometimes happens that the GP assumes that
the kidney team is looking after your PTDM, while the
kidney team assumes that the GP is responsible, when in
reality no one is looking after your diabetes. Your kidney
function will be monitored by your transplant centre but
being on the primary care diabetes register will ensure
that you receive the recommended regular screening of
your eyes, feet, blood pressure and cholesterol.”
The future of PTDM
Studies are under way to see if it is possible to prevent
PDTM or improve its treatment. “For example, my
department is investigating whether metformin
given immediately after a transplant irrespective of
your glucose level, could reduce the risk of PTDM.
We need to improve prevention and treatment of
PTDM. So, if you are undergoing transplantation and
are approached to take part in research, I strongly
encourage you to participate,” concludes Tahseen.
Article by Sue Lyon
Freelance Medical Writer &
Editor, London
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