Study shows kidney donors live healthier lives: Doctor

Panaji: Among the rare cases of a husband donating a kidney to his wife is that of a woman who was diagnosed with kidney disease at the age of 28 and had to undergo regular dialysis treatment.

Two years later, her husband, working in the UK, came down to donate one of his kidneys to her.“Six months after the transplant, she joined her husband in the UK and two years later, she became pregnant and had a safe delivery,” said consultant nephrologist and kidney transplant physician Dr Shital Lengade. For many women on dialysis, a kidney transplant is the only way to regain their fertility and fulfil their dreams of having children.

He added that the chances of conception for a woman on dialysis are very low, and in rare cases where a woman does become pregnant, it is treated as a very high-risk pregnancy, with many finding it difficult to complete their pregnancy.That’s the reason doctors counsel and motivate young women to undergo kidney transplants, Dr Lengade said. “One year after a transplant, when the body has adapted to the organ, the woman can safely become pregnant with no additional risks,” he added.

Unfortunately, due to todays nuclear family structure, most transplants are spousal. In the past, first-degree relatives would opt to be kidney donors, but this is not commonly seen today. Kidney donation is very safe and one of the safest organ donations, Dr Lengade said, adding that studies have shown that people who donate their kidneys live longer and healthier lives compared to those who opt not to be donors.“This is because of two reasons: the donor is already a healthy person, and secondly, the person donating an organ tends to take more care of themselves and naturally leans towards a healthier lifestyle,” he said, adding that donors don’t have to take any extra medication but are called in once a year for routine medical checkups.Those with no matching or willing donors sign up on the state’s waiting list maintained by the State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (SOTTO). There are currently 78 persons waiting for kidneys from deceased donors. The youngest is 18 years old, and the oldest is 66, with the average age being 30-35 years.Out of eight cadaver deceased organ donations since SOTTO was set up in 2019, seven have taken place in the public sector at GMC, and of these, 14 out of 16 kidneys have been transplanted at GMC.

“This is something to be proud of and is exactly the reverse of what is seen in other states, where the private sector accounts for the majority of the cases,” said joint director of SOTTO, Dr Preeti Varghese said.“GMC is also among the few govt institutions that have a Human Leukocyte Antigens (HLA) lab on their own premises, which is the cornerstone of the transplant programme for both deceased and living donors,” she said, adding that reports don’t have to be sent to Mumbai.Out of the eight deceased organ donation cases, only one was of Goan origin and from the elite section of the society, while the rest of the seven could be broadly categorised as daily wage workers, she said. Out of the 16 kidneys of the eight deceased donors, 14 were transplanted in Goa. The eight deceased’s other organs—seven livers, four hearts, and two pairs of lungs—were sent to other states.