Each kidney in the human body consists of about 1 million nephrons that are basically “filtering” units. Every nephron features a glomerulus which consists of a cluster of tiny blood vessels. Inside a kidney, toxins in the blood may be removed through the glomerulus structure. High blood sugar often makes the blood vessels thicken and become damaged, triggering the Kidney Failure process.
Warning Signs of Kidney Disease
Kidney Failure tends to disproportionately affect patients with other underlying medical conditions such as cardiovascular disease, Polycystic Kidney Disease, polyneuropathy, pancreatitis, or Diabetes Mellitus. Doctors believe that sustained uncontrolled high blood sugar (and also high blood pressure) is the main cause of kidney failure for most people. Not all Diabetic patients have to suffer from eventual failure requiring a transplant or require emergency reversal of kidney disease with stem cells. The Kidneys have the function of eliminating excess fluids from the blood through our urine. When kidneys start to fail, this function gets disrupted. More fluids start collecting in the body. Then, the swelling begins. Patients often report having swollen eyes as well as swollen legs after some time the entire body might swell up.
Protein in Urine (Proteinuria)
When excess fluids and waste can’t be removed from the body naturally, patients begin to lose appetite. They might even start frequently vomiting as the body struggles with the excess stored waste. As kidney begin to lose functions, other symptoms take hold, such as retaining essential proteins in the blood supply called proteinuria. Proteinuria can be easily discovered with a simple urine test. Kidney disease patients who also have Diabetes can find that their urine turns out to be a little foamy in appearance.Learn more about kidney friendly diets.
Types of Renal Diseases
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) – As the name implies, CKD develops over a long period, and patients often track the reduction of kidney function over several years. Progressive Chronic kidney disease can lead to eventual kidney failure (end-stage kidney disease) and requires either a kidney transplant or kidney hemodialysis 1-3 times a week to stay alive. Dialysis or the Hemofiltration machine is required for purifying a patients blood of waste products such as urea or creatinine since the kidneys are not able to work properly.
There are many potential causes of chronic kidney disease, but the usual ones include:
- Glomerulonephritis – Attack on the kidney tissue by a disease, virus (kidney infection symptoms) or self-Attack, i.e., Autoimmune responses such as Crohns & Goodpasture syndrome
- Polycystic kidney disease (PKD) which causes the growth of cysts on the kidneys
- IgA nephropathy autoimmune, also known as Berger’s disease is diagnosed when immunoglobulin A (IgA antibody) builds inflammation up in the kidneys.
- Damage to blood vessels to either kidney due to diabetes (Diabetic Nephropathy) or high blood pressure known as Renovascular hypertension (RVH) which can also lead to congestive heart failure
- Genetic or congenital abnormalities caused by mutations in the person DNA affecting the urinary tract or kidney
- Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) & Kidney Cancer
- Reflux nephropathy which causes urine to flow back into the kidneys
- Long term exposure to drugs or medications that are toxic to the kidneys
- Long term exposure to Lead poisoning or heavy metals
- Renal artery stenosis (RAS) which causes narrowing of the renal arteries
Acute Renal Failure
Acute renal failure (ARF) or Acute kidney injuries (AKI) occur after a sudden or abrupt loss of kidney function. The dangerous event usually occurs over an extremely short period (2- 7 days,) and it can be numerous. Some common causes of Acute kidney failure include:
- Recurrent kidney stones
- “Anaemia” Low blood count from kidney disease
- SLE Lupus & refractory lupus nephritis
- Sudden Stoppage of Haemodialysis
- Frequent urinary tract infections
- Renal artery stenosis
- Stopping Peritoneal dialysis
- Toxicity due to chemotherapy agents
- Interstitial nephritis
- Acute kidney failure – Sudden
- Protein or Blood in the urine
- Chronic or long term Dialysis at Hospital
- Kidneys damage due to high blood pressure
- Polycystic kidneys
- Electrolyte imbalance
- Chronic kidney disease (CKD)
There can be many other causes of chronic kidney disease, and sometimes the diagnosis is idiopathic or unknown but is more common among men with ankylosing spondylitis. Regardless of the underlying cause of CKD, the approach to treatments to improve glomerular filtration rate (GFR) are usually similar. Recent research also suggests that nephrotic syndrome & chronic kidney disease can increase the risk of getting Parkinson’s disease or secondary parkinsonism.
Five Stages of Kidney Disease
There are five stages of kidney damage for patients diagnosed with Chronic kidney disease (CKD). In nephrology, the stages vary from very mild kidney damage in Stage 1 to total kidney failure in Stage 5. The stages of patients kidney disease are based on the Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (eGFR). eGFR score is used to gauge how well the kidneys are doing their job filtering waste and excess fluid out of the blood. In the early onset stage of renal disease, the kidneys are still functional and able to filter out waste but not very efficiently. As the disease progresses, it becomes harder and harder for the kidneys to filter waste, and eventually stops working altogether and requiring artificial blood filtering using a dialysis machine.
Calculating Your GFR
Genetic Testing for Kidney Diseases
Knowing the underlying causes of renal failure and kidney disease are very important, not only for the patient but also for their family members who are maybe carrying the gene without knowing. The Regeneration center offers genetic screenings for cogenital kidney diseases and to test for several ciliopathies, nephronophthisis (NPH), Nephrolithiasis (renal calculi – cysts) or a second opinion to confirm a diagnosis for hereditary kidney disease. Genes we can test for include:
ANKS6, AGXT, APRT,ADCY10, AHI1, ATP6V0A4, ATP6V1B1, CC2D2A,CA2, CASR, CLCN5,CEP164, CEP290,CLDN16, CLDN19, CEP83, CYP24A1, DCDC2,FAM20A, GPHN, GRHPR,GLIS2, IFT172, INVS, HOGA1, HPRT1, KCNJ1, IQCB1, NEK8, NPHP1, NPHP3,MOCOS, MOCS1,OCRL, PREPL, SLC12A1, SLC22A12, SLC26A1, SLC2A9,NPHP4, OFD1, PKHD1,SLC34A1, SLC34A3, SLC3A1,SLC4A1, SLC7A9,RPGRIP1L, SDCCAG8, TCTN1,RPGRIP1L, SDCCAG8, TCTN1,TMEM216, TTC21B, TMEM237, TMEM67,WDR19, XPNPEP3, XDH, SLC9A3R1, UMOD, VDR & ZNF423
The Regeneration Center does not kidney transplant surgery or gene therapies for kidney diseases, and DNA testing services are for current patients or Regeneration Center only. Please contact us with any questions.
Clinical studies have shown that red blood cells have the function of carrying oxygen from the lungs to provide all of the body’s requirements and to provide you the energy you’ll need for your day-to-day activities. Nevertheless, a failing kidney cannot secrete sufficient erythropoietin, and lower levels of erythropoietin do not stimulate the bone marrow to be able to produce more red cells, which result in anemia. When a patient has anemia, they might notice the skin or gums in the mouth are pale in color.[1]
Can Kidney Disease be Reversed?
Stem Cell Kidney Regeneration
Stem cells are the human bodies repair mechanism. Stem cells can differentiate into any functional tissue cells. Kidney cells necrosis or 
decreased kidney functions can be seen in abnormal creatinine levels. Stem cell Transplants for Renal Failure help to replenish the required kidney cells and thus promote a more normal
healthy kidney function. There are two types of stem cells treatments that may be utilized in our regenerative protocols for reversing Renal failure. One part of treatment is focused on promoting optimal kidney function, and the other would be to replenish red blood cell amounts to help reverse the decline in HGB level. The enhanced mesenchymal cells are then transfused back into your body through targeted cell infusions that allow the circulating stem cells to could to reach the kidneys via normal blood circulation. This breakthrough treatment for renal failure can be done with, and without dialysis and demands, no surgical operation that requires extended hospital stays only at the Regeneration Center. The enhanced mesenchymal stem cells used for kidney disease is done in multiple stages, but each daily session takes about two hours each visit.[2]
Stem Cells Therapy for Chronic Kidney Disease
For those suffering from moderate to late/terminal stage kidney failure, allogeneic cell therapy can help them by eliminating the need for dialysis or decreasing the frequency of dialysis. For patients with early stage of renal failure or kidney disease, stem cell therapy can reverse kidney damage and prevent further damage to renal function. Our functional regenerative medical treatments using enhanced renal stem cells gives the patients an assurance that he/she will continue living his/her normal life without worrying about worsening of his/her kidneys or spreading to cause other issues such as heart disease, (heart attacks), pancreas failure (diabetic nephropathy) and other complications.[3]
Avoid Dialysis or Kidney Transplant
TREATMENT PRECAUTIONS & RISKS
Reversal of kidney failure is not possible for all cases. Patients with late stage renal failure, multiple complications or frequent Dialysis may not be able to travel safely and may result in disqualification for treatment. All treatments must be approved in advance after proper medical evaluation.
Stop Failing Kidneys with MSC+ Renal Stem Cells
The protocol needed to treat kidney patients depends entirely on many factors including patient age, health and stage of kidney damage. Approved patients will require several stage infusions of enhanced MSC+ Renal Stem cells derived from Cord tissue-derived stem cells for 14-21 nights in Bangkok. Due to varying degrees of kidney function and physical degeneration, our medical team will need to review any patient medical files before acceptance. Once our review is complete, we can offer a detailed treatment plan that includes the complete treatment steps, including an exact number of nights required along with the total and fixed medical related costs.
Rehabilitation Options Post Treatment: Physical Rehabilitation therapy in Bangkok is typically not required unless there are other physical issues. complete physical rehab services post-therapy can be provided upon request for 2-4 hours per day and up to 5 days per week. Medical travel visas and extended stay accommodations at a hotel or extended stay apartment for the patient and family can also be provided upon request.
Total Treatment time needed: estimated 2 week protocol (depending on the severity of the underlying injury). Late stage kidney patients or patients with frequent dialysis may require multiple stages to be effective in dialysis cessation and reversal of kidney disease.
Kidney Disease Treatment Guidelines for 2023
Our non-surgical cell-based treatment for renal failure & kidney dysfunction will require a minimum of 14 nights in Bangkok. Due to the varying degrees of Kidney damage and the stage/severity of the underlying disease, our medical team and Nephrologists will need to qualify the potential patients’ needs before a detailed treatment protocol can be provided. Upon approval and acceptance, a detailed treatment plan will be provided that includes specifics and daily calendar for the entire treatment plan along with the fixed medical related expenses (excluding accommodations or flights). To begin the qualification process for our multi-stage treatment protocol for CKD, Polycystic Kidney disease or Kidney/Renal Failure, please prepare your recent medical records such as Radiology from CT Scan or Ultrasound Scans with biochemistry results (bloodtests) and contact us today.
Published Clinical Citations
[1] ^ Tangnararatchakit, Kanchana, Wiwat Tirapanich, Usanarat Anurathapan, Wiwat Tapaneya-Olarn, Samart Pakakasama, Saengsuree Jootar, Shimon Slavin, and Suradej Hongeng. Depletion of alloreactive T cells for tolerance induction in a recipient of kidney and hematopoietic stem cell transplantations in Thailand. Pediatric transplantation, no. 8 (May 4). doi:10.1111/j.1399-3046.2012.01701.x. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22553996
[2] ^ Sumboonnanonda, Achra, Kleebsabai Sanpakit, and Nuntawan Piyaphanee. 2008. Renal tubule function in beta-thalassemia after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Pediatric nephrology (Berlin, Germany), no. 1 (August 8). doi:10.1007/s00467-008-0949-0. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18688653
[3] ^ Tögel, Florian, Arthur Cohen, Ping Zhang, Ying Yang, Zhuma Hu, and Christof Westenfelder. 2009. Autologous and allogeneic marrow stromal cells are safe and effective for the treatment of acute kidney injury. Stem cells and development, no. 3. doi:10.1089/scd.2008.0092. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18564903
[4] ^ Townamchai, N, K Praditpornsilpa, and S Eiam-Ong. 2010. Endothelial progenitor cells in Thai kidney transplant patients. Transplantation proceedings, no. 5. doi:10.1016/j.transproceed.2010.01.063. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20620502