Washington, March 11: Despite the general belief, a new study finds that donating a kidney is not associated with an increased long-term risk of death.
Despite a slightly higher risk of death among kidney donors in the first 90 days after surgery due to its inherent risks, there is no difference in the mortality rate of donors and non-donors in the long run.
According to the study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, certain physiologic changes, which commonly occur after kidney donation, do not affect the survival rate of the individual.
Male, African-American and Hispanic donors along with those suffering from high blood pressure are more likely to die from complications in the first year after live kidney donation surgery, the study found.
“We have shown that live kidney donation is safe and free from significant long-term excess mortality,” said lead researcher Dorry L. Segev, adding that “it is incumbent on the transplantation community to show that these lives are not saved at the cost of placing the donors at risk”.
Scientists hope their finding will encourage potential donors and cut the long waiting list for organ donation in different parts of the world.
—-Agencies