What a kidney donor needs to know
Former Bihar Chief Miner and RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav is set to receive a kidney from his daughter Rohini Acharya. The veteran politician will now undergo a kidney transplant later this month. And while many family members like Rohini step in to donate their organs to save their loved ones, what should prospective donors do to ensure they stay healthy as well post-transplant?
According to Dr Madhuri Jaitley, Associate Consultant at Department of Nephrology in Paras Hospital, Gurugram, the long-term dangers from kidney donation are minimal for those in reasonably good health. “Your risk of developing kidney failure in the future may slightly rise if you donate kidneys. However, the risk is minimal as there is a less than one per cent chance of developing renal failure,” she says.
Besides, you may not become a donor despite the best of intentions. “You must undergo a thorough medical examination before donating a kidney. Your doctor determines whether you are a good match for the potential kidney recipient. Additionally, you will be examined to make sure you don’t have any health issues that a kidney donation could exacerbate,” adds Dr Jaitley.
Of course, kidney removal surgery or nephrectomy is usually done using laparoscopic technique. “A donor has very minimal risks like bleeding and infection. Usually, kidney donors recover after a hospital stay of three days with little to no issues. You usually finish the rest of your rehabilitation at home. Your remaining kidney grows a little bit over time as it receives more blood flow and filters waste and you continue living a normal life. You require once a year follow-up with a nephrolog post donation,” she adds. As precaution, one needs to take low salt and avoid pain killers.
It’s a myth that donating a kidney affects a person’s life expectancy or the quality of life. On the contrary, studies show that people who donate a kidney outlive the average population. One study showed how 20 years after donating, 85 per cent of donors were still alive. This may be because only healthy people are approved to become donors, or donors take additional health precautions after donating a kidney.
There is a post-donation drill that the living donor needs to know about. Heavy lifting is not recommended for about six weeks following surgery. Donors should keep away from heavy contact sports where their lone kidney could be injured accidentally. They should resume their natural paces gradually.
And yes, there ought to be a diet discipline. Post-donation, one should keep away from stressors like alcohol, caffeine and high protein foods. Since the kidneys flush out body waste and receive the broken down protein, the idea is to lessen the workload on the remaining sole organ and not complicate its functioning.
