Though the short-term risks associated with kidney donation are relatively modest, many donors have additional medical conditions so it is important to evaluate their ongoing health. That's the conclusion of a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN). In more than a third of kidney transplantations performed in the United States, the transplanted organs come from live donors. Research suggests that there are minimal health consequences for donors, but only a few comprehensive studies have looked at this issue.
To evaluate trends in the illnesses and complications experienced by donors, Jesse Schold, PhD (Cleveland Clinic) and his colleagues studied the health of more than 69,000 donors from 1998 to 2010, representing 89% of US donors from that time.
Among the major findings:
- Complications declined over time, from 10.1% in 1998 to 7.6% in 2010.
- Hospital length-of-stay following donation declined over time, from an average of 3.7 days in 1998 to 2.5 days in 2010.
- Rates of complications and length-of-stay for donors were comparable with other relatively low risk abdominal surgeries such as appendectomies.
- Depression, hypothyroidism, hypertension, and obesity increased over time.
The authors noted that while their data confirm that short-term risks associated with donation are relatively modest, the long-term impact of complications and additional medical conditions may be important to evaluate in the coming years.
Advertisement
Advertisement