Q: My uncle is suffering from diabetes for the past 2 years. His creatinine level has gone up to 8.3. A year back he was treated wrongly and was asked to increase the protein level. He was advised to have chicken and eggs. This affected his kidney. He is in a critical stage. Dialysis/kidney transplant cannot be done as his body is very weak. What can be done in such a case?

A:It is evident that with serum creatinine level of 8.3 mg/dl, your uncle's kidneys are irreparably damaged and working less than 10%. This demands for institution of dialysis therapy as early as possible to avoid further deterioration of his already bad health. It is my guess that he is malnourished and anaemic which makes him feel weak. With the limited information I cannot comment about transplantation but I can certainly state that feeling weak is not a reason he cannot undergo dialysis. On the contrary, dialysis will remove the toxins, which have accumulated due to kidney failure and will make him feel better. If he is anaemic, it needs to be investigated and corrected with epogen, iron, etc. to restore his strength. Please, seek the advice if your local nephrologist (kidney specialist) as soon as possible.