Living Vs deceased donor

[ashok5085]

Wat are the pros/cons of living Vs deceased donor?

[Ladybug_05]

Hello! I received a living donation in January! How it was explained to me, is that it really depends on the recipient and what their case looks like. A pro of a deceased donor is that you don't have to go through the stress and anxiety of having donors rejected while trying for a living donor transplant and waiting on the list. It's a need-to-know basis for living donor screenings and the recipient is kept in the dark about basically everything besides "yes they are a match, they have/don't have these viruses" and etc. With that being said, deceased donor kidneys don't tend to last as long and are more likely to go into a sleep-like state where it stops working, which means that the recipient will need hemodialysis. This is possible with a living donor kidney as well, but it's a lot less likely. Deceased donors are also not vetted like live donors are. A deceased donor can have a higher bmi and other health issues that can put the kidney at risk. For an older person who is, say in their 60's or 70's, a deceased kidney could work great since they've reached what my transplant team called the "end of life stage," where it's likely that they won't outlive their transplant just due to their age.

However, for someone who is younger to middle age, or even in their early 60's and otherwise healthy, a living donor kidney would be preferred since they do last longer. Other pros include you being able to vet who you get the transplant from- and you're more likely to have a better match since you can receive it from a family member. Depending on how quickly your donors are vetted and how quickly you find one, you can receive a transplant much quicker than if you were to wait on the list. I was only listed for just over a year, and 3 months of it was because we had schedule conflicts for surgery (I was tempted off the list- so I was still accruing time in case my donor backed out). I'm only 21 years old, so there was also an age bracket added to the list of requirements for my donor. To prolong the life of the kidney and my overall health as long as possible, my team was picky about how old my donors were. My donor ended up being my step sister (not related by blood but our crossmatches only conflicted on half of the markers), who's only 4 years older than me. Having a kidney close in age to the recipient gives the best outcome of success, but it can't be guaranteed with deceased donors, whereas it can be better controlled with live donation. Living donors are heavily vetted and must be pretty healthy to be able to donate.

Sorry this post is long! I hope this helps and good luck!

[ashok5085 in reply to Ladybug_05]

Thanks much.

[kevinlally]

My understanding is the if a living donor is available, that can be a better option. I would always suggest being on the list just in case. And a deceased donor kidney can last for years and years - it's hard to know what will happen to us over time. Good luck!

[ashok5085 in reply to kevinlally]

Thanks Kevin, hopefully I will get a living or deceased donor in near future.

[WYOAnne NKF Ambassador]

I really think it comes down to how well the kidney matches your tissue, whether living or deceased donor. Also as the recipient, are you in good health, or do you have other health issues. Are you diabetic? I had my transplant over 19 years (1999) ago from a deceased donor. I was told that it may only last 8-12 years, and here I am 19 +. My donor was only 16 years old and the kidney was a 4/6 match. I have never had a rejection episode.

[ashok5085 in reply to WYOAnne]

No I am not diabetic. But feel weakness post dialysis. Great to hear your story.