Gurugram, Mar 25 (IANS): Doctors here have given a 37-year-old woman with a rare genetic disorder a new lease of life after a challenging simultaneous liver and kidney transplant that lasted 16 hours.

The patient from Kashmir's Sopore had been suffering from primary hyperoxaluria - a rare genetic condition present at birth, where the liver produces more quantities of a natural chemical called oxalate due to an enzyme defect, than what is required by the body.

The extra oxalate combines with calcium to create stones and crystals in the kidneys, which can damage them and cause them to stop working (renal failure).

While the patient remained unaware of her condition for years, she recently began suffering from frequent headaches and vomiting. There was a gradual buildup of calcium deposits in her kidneys, a condition called nephron-calcinosis. It had damaged the kidney functioning severely.

Doctors at a hospital in Srinagar diagnosed the patient's condition as end stage kidney disease and put her on dialysis. They recommended that she opt for a transplant and get a new liver (to prevent overproduction of oxalate) and a new kidney (to replace the damaged ones).

In the absence of a kidney transplant, she would need dialysis for the rest of her life. Her elderly parents stepped in to help their child and readily agreed to donate their own organs for the purpose.

At Artemis Hospitals, Gurugram, doctors successfully harvested both the organs -- kidney from father (aged 62) and liver from mother (aged 57) from the parents and transplanted them simultaneously in the patient in a marathon surgery.

"Simultaneous transplant of liver and kidney together is one of the most complex and risky procedures in the medical field. The mortality rate of patients is much higher compared to single transplant," said Dr Giriraj Bora, Chief, Liver Transplant, Artemis Hospital, in a statement.

"The news of our daughter suffering from a rare disease and kidney failure hit us hard. But we were willing to do anything to help our child. Fortunately, the surgery went well and all of us are now recovering fine. We are deeply thankful to the doctors," said Sana Ullah Sheikh, the patient's father.