Neuberger and Keogh’s editorial on organ donation makes a very brief reference to altruistic kidney donation.1 When a mechanism to support the process was established in 2006 it was anticipated that there would perhaps be 10 or so such operations per year. This was the case initially but word has got around, principally as a result of media stories, and numbers have increased with 76 altruistic donations in 2012/2013.2
We do not know the size of the pool of people willing to donate in this way but surveys in several countries including the UK have shown that a substantial proportion are willing to consider giving a kidney to a stranger.3 In the UK there is a clear and well-planned assessment pathway in place in transplant units. Publicity has increased awareness which has led to more volunteers. NHS staff involved in transplantation have become increasingly confident that altruistic donors are generally ordinary, healthy people with no excess of psychological morbidity. They come from diverse backgrounds and include a number of doctors and nurses.
GPs may be approached by individuals interested in the possibility of donating. They don’t need to know the intricacies of the cross-matching process but they can assure them that the risks associated with nephrectomy, although not trivial, are still small with a mortality of less than 1 in 3000 and there is evidence that donors have a higher than average life expectancy.4
There are numerous resources on the web including a charity called Give A Kidney (www.giveakidney.org) established by medical professionals and donors in 2011 to support altruistic donation. The website has contact details for the living donor transplant coordinators for those who wish to take matters further.
- © British Journal of General Practice 2013
