There are some celebrities who are not very open with it comes to their private lives, and that includes their health. However, there are some who are very willing to talk about it and share their experiences to their fans, one of them is television actress Sarah Hyland, who has been very open to the public about her kidney dysplasia.
Hyland’s Kidney Dysplasia
The television actress was only 21-years-old when she has to undergo a kidney transplant. It is for the disease that she has been battling with for about 12 years, kidney dysplasia. She got a kidney from her father, whom she was truly grateful for. Hyland was diagnosed when she was just 9-years-old, she was already starting in the entertainment industry at that time and does not want to give anything up, so she fought through it. She admitted to having to take a rest every single chance she gets like in between takes.
Kidney dysplasia is actually also referred to as multicystic dysplastic kidney. This develops while the person is still inside the womb, and their kidneys just don’t grow the way they should be.
According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive Kidney Diseases, the causes of kidney dysplasia may depend on every case. It may be connected to the mother being involved or exposed to illegal drugs such as cocaine. It could also be from the genes since it is found to be a dominant trait that either of the parents could pass on even if they don’t have it or shows no symptoms of it.
Severe Side Effects
The 27-year-old television actress has been battling this disease do years now despite having a kidney transplant in 2012. However, her struggles do not even come from the disease itself, but from the side effects of the medication, she has been getting.
These medications keep her healthy, but it has definitely affected her in a lot of not-so-great ways. The “Modern Family” actress has been sharing her journey on social media, wherein she talks about dealing with hair loss.
She even posted a story wherein she was asking her fans and followers what hair products are actually great for thinning hair. Hyland admitted that she can’t actually take some hair loss supplements such as Viviscal and Nutrafol, which is two of the highly recommended supplements that most people use. Unfortunately, she cannot take them since it will interfere with her medications.
This is not the only thing that has been bothering her, she has actually been hospitalized because of the severe puffing of her cheeks. On the National Selfie Day, she revealed that taking photos are actually not just about good angles and lighting, because she has been struggling as it is.
Her puffing cheeks is also a side effect of the medication she has been taking. Hyland has made it clear that no matter how much she complains about it and no matter how uncomfortable it is for her, she is still grateful because she knows that her health must always come first but sadly, this is one of its side effects.
She had shared in an Instagram story how she is using a certain beauty roller to keep her face from swelling. According to dermatologists, these rollers could actually help when it comes to stimulating the face muscles that could help the oxygen go into the face area more. Once the face gets more oxygen, it could now drain the tension it’s getting because of some chronic conditions. The increase of blood flow on the skin would make the skin on the face glow. Hyland’s condition is caused by the prednisone she has been taking.
She has to take these medications for her kidney dysplasia. It is actually a form of a steroid hormone wherein it basically tries to act as a hormone that is being produced by the body naturally.
According to Professor James J. Galligan, these prednisone drugs are usually used as a drug for anti-inflammatory effects that could suppress the immune system. For someone likely Hyland who have had a kidney transplant, this is to basically make her immune system adapt to the transplanted kidney, and prevent it from rejecting it. Having a “moon face” like Hylands is one of its severe side effects.