To donate a kidney, you must be in good physical and mental health. As a general rule, you should be 18 years or older. You must also have normal kidney function. There are some medical conditions that could prevent you from being a living donor. These include having uncontrolled high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, HIV, hepatitis, or acute infections.
You can donate a kidney to a family member or friend who needs one. You can also give it to someone you don't know. Doctors call this a “nondirected” donation, in …
Kidney donation and transplant. If you have two healthy kidneys, you may be able to donate one of your kidneys to someone with kidney failure. If you have kidney failure, getting a kidney transplant can mean a chance at a longer and healthier life without dialysis. Learn more about kidney donation and transplant.
If you don’t know anyone who needs a transplant, and are willing to consider donating to anyone, you have several options: National Kidney Registry We are the largest paired exchange program in the world and provide unequaled Donor Shield® protections for our donors including reimbursement for lost wages, travel & lodging.
There are some medical conditions that could prevent you from being a living donor . These include having uncontrolled high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, HIV, hepatitis, or acute infections . Having a serious mental health condition that requires treatment may also prevent you from being a donor .
In general, a kidney donor must: Be 18 years of age or older. Be in good physical and mental health. Have normal kidney function....Before kidney donation you'll have:Blood tests.Tissue typing tests.Antibody tests.Pre–surgery health screening.
Two important factors determine compatibility in kidney transplantation – blood type and antibodies. Donors who are blood type O can donate to anyone. Recipients who are blood type AB can receive from anyone.
Donating a kidney does not affect a person's life expectancy. On the contrary, studies show that people who donate a kidney outlive the average population. Twenty years after donating, 85 percent of kidney donors were still alive, while the expected survival rate was 66 percent.
Medical possible long-term cons People can get certain health problems after donating: About 18% of donors (about 1 in 5) get high blood pressure. About 5% (1 in 20) get chronic kidney disease. 4% (less than 1 in 20) get diabetes within 5 years of donating.
Among those disqualified were those who were obese, those who were excessive drinkers (more than four drinks a day), and those with diabetes, skin cancer, high blood pressure, HIV, coronary artery disease or congestive heart failure.Nov 14, 2014
The best match for the recipient is to have 12 out of s12antigen match. (This is known as a zero mismatch.) It is possible for all 12 markers to match, even with an unrelated deceased donor organ, if the patient has a very common HLA type.
Who Can I Give My Kidney To? You can donate a kidney to a family member or friend who needs one. You can also give it to someone you don't know. Doctors call this a “nondirected” donation, in which case you might decide to meet the person you donate to, or choose to stay anonymous.Dec 7, 2020
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.
This recommendation applies to anyone with a single kidney, including people who were born with one kidney and people with a kidney transplant. Some doctors think it is best to avoid contact sports like football, boxing, hockey, soccer, martial arts, or wrestling.
Alcohol affects all of your body's organs. However, the effects of alcohol on one kidney lead to multiple issues. Although drinking one to two drinks a day typically won't be an issue, if you have one kidney, it will. When you drink, you will generally urinate more.Oct 16, 2020
How long does a transplanted kidney last? On average, a kidney from a living donor lasts about 15 to 20 years.
Donors can live a normal life after donation. We fully evaluate everybody prior to allowing them to donate and if we do determine that there are co...
Donors actually tend to live a longer life because they tend to take much better care of themselves post-donation and hence have a better quality o...
A huge component of the donor evaluation is assessing the kidney function of the potential donor. If it’s determined that that donor has any type o...
People into their 70s can donate a kidney—it is all about the health of the potential living donor. The oldest donor that I helped get through the...
A kidney donor will be given prescriptions for pain medication and stool softeners at discharge from the hospital. These are only for the immediate...
A kidney donor will have some pain after surgery from both the incisions and related to gas and bloating. This pain will diminish in the days follo...
A kidney donor will be out of bed and walking independently before discharge from the hospital.
A kidney donor will be hospitalized for two nights (i.e., if surgery is on a Tuesday, the donor will typically be discharged on Thursday).
A kidney donor should be able to return to regular activities and exercise at approximately four to six weeks following surgery.
A kidney donor should eat a healthy, well balanced diet. There are no dietary restrictions following donation.
You can donate a kidney to a family member or friend who needs one. You can also give it to someone you don't know. Doctors call this a “nondirected” donation, in which case you might decide to meet the person you donate to, or choose to stay anonymous. Either way, doctors will give your kidney to the person who needs it most and is the best match.
Your doctor will do some tests to find out for sure. They’ll check your blood and urine, and may also do an ultrasound or take X-rays of your kidneys. You may not be able to donate if you have medical issues like diabetes or high blood pressure.
Your doctor will prescribe medications to help manage your pain. They’ll also want you to get up and start moving around shortly afterward.
If you want to give your kidney to a friend or family member, talk to the doctor at the transplant center. You'll start taking tests to see if you're a match.
If you want to donate to someone you know, such as a family member, friend, or someone in your community, your first step is to contact the transplant hospital where they’re waiting for a transplant.
If you don’t know anyone who needs a transplant, and are willing to consider donating to anyone, you have several options:
We are the largest paired exchange program in the world and provide unequaled Donor Shield® protections for our donors including reimbursement for lost wages, travel & lodging. Our Family Voucher Program also protects donors’ families in the event a family member ever needs a transplant.
You can also contact a transplant center in your area to ask about being a living donor. To find a list of all transplant centers in the U.S., visit the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) website. Then follow these steps:
Although living kidney donation is becoming more common—a record 6,860 living donors donated a kidney in 2019—some people may hesitate to become a living donor because they have heard incorrect information about the kidney donation process. Here are some of the questions people ask about living kidney donation, ...
Get the Facts About Kidney Donation. Every year, thousands of living donors donate a healthy kidney to a person who has kidney disease, saving them from years of waiting for a kidney from a deceased donor, going through dialysis and complications associated with kidney failure.
People into their 70s can donate a kidney —it is all about the health of the potential living donor. The oldest donor that I helped get through the donation process was 78—he donated to his wife and lived a perfectly healthy life afterwards.
Yes and no. If a donor is entering paired exchange, they do not have the ability to choose to whom they are donating, however in other circumstances they can choose, be it their spouse, their friend or whomever they wish to donate to.
Here are some of the questions people ask about living kidney donation, and the facts as explained by Marian Charlton, RN, CCTC, who is the chief clinical transplant coordinator at Hackensack Meridian Health.
A kidney donor will never have to take anti-rejection medications.
The reason most hospitals suggest an age minimum of 18 for kidney donors isn't because a young kidney is too small. Studies have shown that a kidney from a 6-year-old is all right to transplant into an adult.
Between 1990 and 2010, 219 people over the age of 70 donated kidneys, and researchers say the number of donors in this age group is on the rise. Surgeons will make their decisions for this older group based on a potential donor's health and how well their kidneys work.
But people who get older kidneys are just as likely to be alive 5 years after a transplant as those that receive younger kidneys. Plus, the chances of complications from the procedure, and of organ rejection -- when someone's immune system attacks their new kidney -- are the same with kidneys from all age groups.