how much weight do i have to lose to donate a kidney

Can you become a kidney donor if you are obese?

Sep 23, 2015 · A BMI greater than 30 kg/m 2 indicates obesity, which has been linked to an increased risk for infection, poor wound healing, and rejection of the donated kidney. If your transplant center has asked you to lose weight before your transplant, you have to approach weight loss with great caution.

Can I lose weight before a kidney transplant?

Jan 23, 2018 · In kidney donors, obesity can cause: More problems during surgery. Type 2 diabetes, which can cause kidney disease. Other types of kidney disease. Doctors may ask you to make changes to lose weight after donating. This helps prevent diabetes and kidney disease. If you make changes to lose weight, you’ll need to keep doing them for the rest of ...

Can I lose weight if I have kidney disease?

Jun 28, 2021 · If you do lose the weight and are approved to donate, the real challenge will be post-donation and how you choose to live your life then. Maintaining an optimal lifestyle that includes a very well-balanced diet and fitness program are going to be SO very important for the rest of your life because you have to give lots of TLC to that one kidney ...

How hard is it to donate a kidney?

May 25, 2017 · 40 pounds later. My drive to lose weight started out as a temporary thing; I just wanted to get under that 200 pound cutoff and be able to donate my kidney to Chris. But every day, I woke up ...

Is there a weight limit for kidney donation?

A large proportion of potential kidney transplant recipients currently have BMIs above 40. While many transplant centers use a BMI cutoff of 35, Mayo Clinic's kidney transplant BMI cutoff is 40.Feb 5, 2021

What determines if you can donate a kidney?

What blood tests will I need to find out if a patient and a potential donor are a kidney match? There are three main blood tests that will determine if a patient and a potential donor are a kidney match. They are blood typing, tissue typing and cross-matching.

Why you should not donate a kidney?

Long-Term/Medical Risks Other complications that may occur in the long-term following surgery to donate a kidney include: Developing a disease that could affect the function of the remaining kidney such as: Diabetes. High blood pressure.

What is a perfect kidney match?

To receive a kidney where recipient's markers and the donor's markers all are the same is a "perfect match" kidney. Perfect match transplants have the best chance of working for many years. Most perfect match kidney transplants come from siblings.

Becoming a donor

Soon after our conversation, I started the process of becoming a kidney donor. I got on the phone with Chris’s transplant coordinator, who took my medical history. That was followed by an entire day of testing at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and a visit with a psychologist.

Motivated to make changes

As a restaurant manager, I have access to plenty of healthy foods, but I was more prone to eating a plate of fried cheese sticks. So the first thing I did was give up all fried foods. Instead, I ate salads, grilled chicken, cottage cheese, and fresh fruit.

40 pounds later

My drive to lose weight started out as a temporary thing; I just wanted to get under that 200 pound cutoff and be able to donate my kidney to Chris. But every day, I woke up feeling better and better, and soon, my new eating and exercise habits were a regular part of my life.

Why were you interested in studying weight loss in patients waiting for kidney transplants?

Weight loss can be a sign of many different health trajectories. When patients without obesity lose weight before a kidney transplant, we automatically worry that they might be getting sick, that they might be losing nutrition. When patients with obesity lose weight, it’s not always clear what is happening.

How did you conduct the study?

We used a large registry database — the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network’s database — that has information on all transplant recipients in the U.S.

What did you find out?

There was a relationship between losing a substantial amount of weight — 10 percent of your body weight, or 20 pounds for a person who weighs 200 pounds — with longer hospitalization after the transplant. Those patients also were more likely than patients with stable weight to have the transplanted organ fail.

Was it surprising?

Again, these patients have organ failure, so many of them may lose weight because of their illness. What surprised me is that the signal was the same for people who had an obese BMI or a morbidly obese BMI. That surprised me because those are the people who are most likely being told to lose weight.

Are there any implications in this for the general public, for people not in need of a kidney transplant?

We have known for a long time that when people lose a lot of weight without really trying — unintentional weight loss — it’s a warning sign. Where it gets harder to disentangle is when you have someone who is obese and told to lose weight. Because the way they lose weight is probably very important for their health, too.

How old do you have to be to be a donor?

To qualify as a donor, an individual must be physically fit and in good general health (no high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, kidney disease, or heart disease). You should be over the age of 18 (younger potential donors must have parental consent). There’s no age cutoff, but most donors are under 60.

How long does it take for a liver transplant to regenerate?

(A transplant involves taking a portion of the healthy liver, which typically regenerates in six to eight weeks).

Does obesity cause kidney failure?

Obesity raises the risk of kidney failure, and without a "back up" organ, donors themselves would be at increased risk. Normal-weight donors are at risk, too, but their chances of developing kidney disease are much lower.

How long do you have to follow up after transplant?

Transplant centers are required to follow up with donors for two years after surgery, but the follow-up is often conducted by phone, and many centers fail to collect complete information.

Does obesity increase the risk of kidney disease?

Doctors worry most about donors’ health in the years after the operation, since obesity increases the risk of kidney disease.

How to get rid of kidneys?

More than two to three drinks a day can damage your kidney and increase your risk of problems like high blood pressure. Stop smoking (or don’t start). It damages all of your organs, including your kidneys. Mind your meds.

How long after kidney transplant can you see a doctor?

Taber, MD, the medical director for kidney transplantation at Indiana University Health. You should also see your doctor at least once a year.

Can you donate kidneys after surgery?

Donating a kidney is no small thing. Even so, you don’t have to overhaul your lifestyle after surgery. “You need to be in good health in order to donate. So a lot of the steps you took to get healthy are the same steps that will help you stay that way,” says Susan Hou, MD. One should know: In addition to serving as a transplant nephrologist ...

Can kidneys be healthy?

But nutrient-rich foods will help you keep your weight in check and lower your risk of high blood pressure and diabetes. That, in turn, will keep your kidney healthy. Some doctors think kidney donors should avoid eating too much protein, especially from protein powder or supplements.

Is kidney transplant surgery invasive?

Most kidney donation surgeries are what doctors call minimally invasive. They require a few small cuts. That makes recovery faster and less painful than it would be with open surgery and a large cut in your body.

How much weight can I lose with kidney disease?

Healthy weight loss is generally seen as weight loss of one to two pounds per week.

What happens after a kidney transplant?

After a kidney transplant, a transplant team will follow up and closely monitor the kidney function. There will be life-long anti-rejection medications that will need to be taken to prevent the kidney from being rejected by the body.

What are the symptoms of kidney failure?

As mentioned, many may not experience symptoms until the majority of their kidney function has been lost. However, symptoms of chronic kidney disease may include: 1 Nausea 2 Vomiting 3 Loss of appetite 4 Shortness of breath 5 Fatigue 6 Weakness 7 Less frequent urination 8 Changes in mental status 9 Muscle cramping 10 Swelling at the feet, ankles, hands, and even face 11 Itching 12 Uncontrolled blood pressure

What is the most common cause of CKD?

The top cause of CKD is diabetes. Diabetes affects over 10% of the US population as of 2020. Prediabetes affects even more – 88 million people (that’s 34.5% of the US population) have diagnosed prediabetes.

How to treat chronic kidney disease?

Diet. One of the most common first steps in treating chronic kidney disease is changes to the diet. Depending on the stage, cause, lab results, and symptoms of kidney disease, dietary modifications can help in better managing CKD.

Who is Katie Dodd?

Katie Dodd, MS, RDN, CSG, LD, FAND is a Registered Dietitian and Board Certified Specialist in Gerontological Nutrition. She specializes in geriatrics, malnutrition, and end of life nutrition. Katie holds a Master’s degree in Food and Nutrition and is a Fellow of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

What is the A1C of a fasting blood test?

A fasting blood sugar of over 126 mg/dL in two separate tests can confirm a diagnosis of diabetes. Another type of blood test is the hemoglobin A1c (or A1c). An A1c of between 5.7 and 6.4% is classified as prediabetes. An A1c of 6.5% or greater is classified as a diabetes diagnosis.