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Kidney Transplant Age Limit

Reviewed by: Dr. Ali Bazzai

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August 5, 2024

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What You’ll Read in This Article

Kidneys are doing vital functions in our body. They filter our blood from the toxic materials and turn them into urine. Then the urine is evacuated from the body through

Kidneys are doing vital functions in our body. They filter our blood from the toxic materials and turn them into urine. Then the urine is evacuated from the body through the bladder. If the kidneys do not function well, the harmful materials would accumulate in the body, which can raise the blood pressure and poison us. When the kidney loses about 90% of its normal ability, we can say that end-stage renal disease has happened. For survival, people who face kidney problems need to remove waste from their blood via dialysis or a kidney transplant. However, patients may wonder if there is a kidney transplant age limit. In this paper, we are going to discuss kidney transplants and how age can affect the process. So stay with us.

What is a kidney transplant?

A kidney transplant is a surgery in which a diseased kidney is replaced by a healthy donated one from a living or a deceased donor. A kidney transplant often happens when the patient suffers from end-stage renal disease or chronic kidney disease. Comparing to undergoing dialysis for a lifetime, a kidney transplant is often the preferred treatment. A kidney transplant leads to a better quality of life, lower risk of death, lower cost, and fewer restrictions in the patient’s diet.

Suitable age for a kidney transplant

Most hospitals consider the age of 18 as the minimum age of donors. It is not because their kidney is small and unpractical, since the studies have shown that a kidney of a 6-year-old child is suitable for transplantation. The reason is that those who are under 18 are minors and cannot legally confirm their consent paper. In addition, some genetic diseases appear in older ages and it would be hard to say if a disease has affected the kidney at younger ages. At many clinics, donors who are over the age of 60 are evaluated case by case. When elderly people want to donate kidneys, a surgeon should make a decision about that by examining the donor’s general health and how their kidney functions. Having high blood pressure, diabetes, and being overweight can probably make you unqualified for donating. Even if you do not have a specific health issue, your surgeon has to make the final decision on your donation.

Seniors as kidney donors and organ recipients

Seniors can be kidney donors or organ recipients. Older adults are not banned from receiving a donor kidney because almost 50 percent of American kidney patients are older than 65. In 2011, 96 donors at the age of 65 or older were living kidney donors in the U.S based on the United Network for Organ Sharing reports. Different studies have compared transplanted kidneys from young and elderly donors who were over 50. The results showed minor differences. After 5 years, the survival rate among people who has received kidneys from elderly donors and those who has received a kidney from younger donors would be almost the same. Also, the chances of organ rejection and other complications are the same among different ages. The result of the studies shows that kidneys from older people can work well, although the young recipients may be interested to consider younger donors. If you are thinking about being a donor, you should know that as you get older the chance of decreasing the health of your kidney goes higher. Therefore, you may be concerned about the health of your remained kidney after donation. One study showed that senior people’s donation does not affect their lifespan, yet more studies are needed in this regard. Seniors as living donors usually donate organs to middle-aged or older recipients who they already know, although making a donation to a younger patient is also possible. However, if you are a senior and considering donating a kidney, you should know that now most transplant centers do not accept organs from seniors at the age of 70 or older.

Conclusion

There should not be an age limitation for a kidney transplant and it should not be exclusive to young patients since there are many senior kidney patients. The rate of survival and complications in this group is similar to younger patients. Although younger people have a longer life expectancy than seniors do, older people can give over the dialysis sessions and take advantage of a renal transplant in order to go back to their routine lives.

For more information: COST OF KIDNEY TRANSPLANT AROUND THE WORLD

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