Who is Eligible for Kidney Transplant?

Kidneys perform important roles in our bodies. They filter our blood from waste materials and turn them into urine to be evacuated from the body so that they do not get toxic. They also regulate blood pressure and by releasing the erythropoietin hormone, it stimulates red blood cells production.

If they do not work well, we cannot be able to live normally and the quality of our lives would be affected. The donor kidney sources are limited, so many renal patients undergo routine dialysis and hopefully wait to find a kidney that matches their conditions. But the main question is: “Who is eligible for the kidney transplant and who is ineligible?”

Eligible candidates for kidney transplant

The major criteria for having a kidney transplant is being at the end-stage renal disease or stage 5 of chronic kidney disease. In some cases, patients at stage 4 can also be considered as a candidate for transplant.

You can be an eligible candidate to receive a kidney if…

• You have end-stage kidney disease and you are on dialysis
• You are in advanced stages of kidney disease, i.e. stage 5 or stage 4 with an estimated GFR under 20 ml per minute
• You have chronic kidney disease (stage 4 with GFR <30ml/min) that did not respond to any kind of medical treatments
• You have chronic kidney disease and also type 1 diabetes that has not responded to medical treatment
• You can tolerate the transplant surgery
• You understand the risks of renal transplantation and the necessity of long-term medical follow-up
• You have a supporting system in your family members or among your friends
• You accept the expenses of the surgery and the follow-up treatments

Ineligible candidates for kidney transplant

Regarding kidney transplant, there are some features that can preclude a patient from being a transplant candidate. We discuss absolute contraindications of renal transplant below:

• Active cancer
• Excessive usage of drugs, alcohol, etc.
• Severe cardiac or peripheral vascular disease that cannot be treated
• Having a body mass index (BMI) above 40
• Lack of financial ability for paying the transplant expenses and its follow-up treatments
• Inappropriate support system of family members
• psychiatric disorders which are uncontrolled
• Severe pulmonary hypertension

There are also some relative contraindications that may exclude a patient from having a kidney transplant depending on the degree of their illness.

• Active infections
• History of cancer within the past two to five years
• Immunologic disorders that can affect the transplant
• Uncontrolled diabetes
• BMI index between 35 to 40
• Hepatitis B or C
• Patients who have a high sensitivity and high antibody level and those who do not respond to desensitization medications
• Severe cardiac or peripheral vascular disease history
• Having a nonfunctional urine tract
• History of noncompliance medical treatments that would affect your full care after the transplantation
• Previous experience of ongoing drugs or alcohol abuse that might put you at risk of continuing after the transplantation

Regardless of the above factors, each transplant center may have its own requirements for transplants. Some of them may have some restrictions based on age. So it is better to do research about the requirements of your transplant center to make sure they fit your needs.

The transplant waitlist

There are some steps that you need to take in order to put your name on the transplant waitlist:

1. Ask your healthcare for a local transplant center or you can contact a transplant center in your area
2. Choose the best transplant center based on your intended features such as the cost, insurance coverage, location, etc. some of the transplant centers have the “kidney paired exchange program” that can be useful for those who use a living donor. In this case, if the donated kidney is not a good match for your condition, it can be exchanged by the other one.
3. Go for an evaluation session to know if you are a well-fit candidate based on the transplant center’s criteria.
4. Based on your evaluation results, they make a decision whether you are a candidate. Then they put you on the waitlist for receiving a transplant kidney based on your health condition.

The average wait time for a kidney transplant

When you are added to the kidney transplant list, you need to wait on average 3-5 years before you receive a transplant. Some patients need to wait more years to get a perfect match.  However, the wait time can depend on some factors including:

• How much you match with the available kidney
• Your blood type
• Your sensitivity and antibody level
• The number of available donors
• Using living or deceased donors

The last factor is one of the most important ones for the waiting time before a transplant. For instance, foreign patients who have a living donor and want to have a kidney transplant in Iran will experience zero wait time and they can have transplantation immediately.

Today, Iran is one of the best countries for kidney transplant surgeries worldwide where with the help of living donors, kidney transplant is now accessible for renal patients. For getting more information you can consult our colleagues at TebMedTourism Co. right now for free.

Publisher and SEO specialist: Mohammad Reza Ranjbaran

 

 

About TebMedTourism company

TebMedTourism Company is an International healthcare facilitator based in Tehran, Iran.

We start our professional activity in medical tourism industry regarding the profound capability of Iran in both healthcare & touristic fields.

We are ready with open arms to provide desirable services to our dear patients & guests from all over the world to enjoy world-class treatment quality and highly skilled doctors in Iran.

TebMedTourism company is cooperating with more than 40 internationally certified hospitals, 140 selected local hospitals, 300 specialized medical centers, 430 doctors, 112 hotels, domestic and international airlines in Tehran, Shiraz, Mashhad, Tabriz, Qom and other cities in Iran.

TebMedTourism team facilitates comprehensive medical & cosmetic packages in all medical & wellness & touristic fields aimed to achieve your desires.

TebMedTourism experienced team will make this procedure seamless and enjoyable from A to Z, so you will just focus on your recovery.

 

 

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