Polycystic Kidney Disease and Stem Cell Transplantation

I. What is Polycystic Kidney Disease?
In PKD, fluid-filled cysts develop in the kidneys, giving them a honeycomb appearance. Gradually these cysts replace the normal kidney tissue, enlarging the kidneys but making them less and less able to function normally. Eventually, the kidneys fail completely.
II. How to treat PKD?
There is no therapy can cure the disease totally, all the therapies used nowadays are trying to control the disease and help the patients to live a longer life with a higher quality.
A. Operation therapy.
In western country, two kinds of operations called windowing decompression and thoracic drainage are widely used for the PKD sufferers. By this way, the pain in the body can be released temporarily, but the cysts will recur after several months.
B. Transplantation of kidneys.
Many people think this is a way to solve the problem. However, the things can not be as easy as people think. A new kidney can help the patients’ live a longer life, but their diseases are still there, they have to keep taking medicines and have consistent treatment. This is just like we throw out a bag of rubbish in the room, but we have to change another bag few days latter as long as we are living there. Then the patients have to accept another kidney as long as they want to have a longer life!
Moreover, the side effect of this therapy is various and the patients have to take medicines to avoid the rejection of the body.
C. Chinese Medicine.
Chinese Medicine can have an effective result on this disease by herbs. The medicine can play a role in the kidney just by external treatment or a medical bath without pain. However, the treatment may be a little bit longer and the journey to China is not a short one.
D. Stem cell transplantation.
This is an advanced technology in the medical field. The scientists have proved that stem cell have a function in treating human diseases. The clinical practices in Shijiazhuang Kidney Disease Hospital also show us a good reflection. Even so, there are many people do not believe this method and are afraid of the side effects.
III. Conclusion.

Among the four therapies mentioned above, Shijiazhuang Kidney Disease Hospital in China adopts the last two. Because the doctors here believe that the distance and time of course is not the most important thing for the patients but the effects, and they insist on catching up with the step of the development of technology in the belief that the stem cell will change the world one day.