Kidney transplantation is the best way known to save a person's life after he or she develops kidney failure . In the past, kidneys were only taken from living close relatives or from people who had recently died. Transplants from living donors have a better chance of success than those from deceased donors. Also, in the United States some people wait more than 5 years for a cadaver kidney. footnote 1 For this reason, more people are making the decision to become kidney donors.
If you decide to become a kidney donor, samples of your blood will be drawn for testing, including your blood type and other genetic information (which may include HLA type ) to see how well you match the recipient. These tests may be repeated before the surgery if you decide to become a donor.
After you have decided to become a kidney donor and your crossmatch results are known, you will be evaluated by a doctor, usually a nephrologist . Your evaluation will begin with a medical history and physical exam. You will have a series of lab tests to screen for kidney function, including chemistry screen , urinalysis , and urine tests for protein . You may also have a CT scan of the kidneys to evaluate your kidneys, urinary tract, and other structures in your pelvis.
United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) at www.donatelife.org or www.transplantliving.org.
Garg AX, et al. (2015). Gestational hypertension and preeclampsia in living kidney donors. New England Journal of Medicine, 372(2): 124-133. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1408932. Accessed September 16, 2015.
Rudow DL, et al. (2015). Consensus conference on best practices in live kidney donation: Recommendations to optimize education, access, and care. American Journal of Transplant, 15(4): 914-22. DOI: 10.1111/ajt.13173. Accessed October 2, 2015.
Segev DL, et al. (2010). Perioperative mortality and long-term survival following live kidney donation. JAMA, 303(10): 959-966. DOI:10.1001/jama.2010.237. Accessed September 16, 2015.