Kidney Donor

Kidney Donor Requirements, Cost

Finding a kidney donor can be a life saving experience for someone who has kidney failure and needs kidney transplantation.

Eighteen people die every day in the United States because a suitable kidney donor can't be found for the. There are more than 80,000 on a national registry waiting and hoping. In several states, including New York and California, there have been patients with kidney problems waiting for ten years or more.

Those who are on the kidney donor waiting list depend on kidney dialysis to stay alive. Dialysis requires them to be hooked up to a machine that cleans their blood three times a week for four hours each time. Normally, it's a job done by healthy kidneys.

A kidney donor does not have to be deceased, but they do have to be willing to give up one of their two kidneys. It's possible for a human being to live on just one kidney, and thousands of people have done it for decades with no ill effects on their overall health.

Ideally, the minimum age is over 18 and no older than the early 70s. Parents, children, siblings, other relatives, and friends are eligible.

A kidney donor should have a genuine interest in contributing a kidney, and should also have a blood type that is compatible with the intended recipient.

You can't be a kidney donor if you have high blood pressure, cancer, diabetes, kidney disease, heart disease, liver disease, sickle cell disease, HIV or hepatitis.

Someone who's thinking about donating a kidney needs to have a frank discussion with their doctor about the risks. Mortality rates among kidney donors is extremely low, but any kind of major surgery can have complications no matter how rare they may be. The risks involved with donating a kidney are no different than undergoing any other kind of surgical procedure.

However, kidney donation does not reduce your life expectancy, and you're at no higher risk for kidney disease than you were before.

After you recovery from your surgery, you have every right to expect to resume a normal active life. Women can carry a pregnancy to full term.

The one exception is participating in contact sports. Doctors strongly recommend against it because a hard blow to the kidney area can cause kidney damage.

Doctors emphasize that no one should every be pressured to become a donor. It's important that they reach the decision on their own, after consulting with family members.

Furthermore, it is illegal for a dying patient to try to buy an organ from someone. Neither is it legal for anyone to try to sell an organ. A 1984 Senate report states that body parts should not be treated like commodities.

The cost is often covered by the transplant recipient's medical insurance, including donor testing, surgery, and recovery in the hospital. It does not cover any wage or salary shortfalls the donor experiences due to the surgery or recovery. Some employers and some state governments allow for paid leave when you donate a kidney. Check with your employer about the possibilities.

Anyone who is interested in how to donate a kidney should contact the Living Donor Kidney Program to request a questionnaire. The National Kidney Foundation also has a website for donors and potential donors.

Learn more about the dangers of kidney disease by clicking on the book cover below or

The Kidney Disease Solution