Transplant

Kidney Transplant

Who qualifies/ needs a kidney transplant?

Any patient with End Stage Kidney Disease (ESKD/ ESRD) and on dialysis needs a transplant however not every patient qualifies for transplant. Patients who are in reasonably good health and have a life expectancy of 5 years or more are good candidates for kidney transplant.

How does it all work?

Institutions around the country have their own lists and they evaluate patients to determine if they are eligible. Patients do not have to be on dialysis to be listed for transplant. For example, if a patient has a GFR less than 20, they are eligible to undergo evlatuation and be listed for transplant. Yep that’s right. You do NOT have to be in total kidney failure to be listed. If you aren’t clear on what GFR means, check out our kidney function page for more information. You can also check our our terminology episode on Kidney Beans with the Kidney Queen podcast.

What are the potential downsides of a kidney transplant?

In general, the benefits outweigh the downsides for most people. One thing to consider about transplant is that the patient will have to take drugs to lower their immune system everyday to prevent their body from rejecting the kidney. Also, dialysis is covered by the government in the United States so dialysis patients are able to have insurance. When a person gets a kidney transplant, they will lose this insurance. But the idea is that now you can work and potentially gain insurance through an employer. I’ll admit this can be a tough situation and a reason for some people to decline transplant if they feel they will not be able to get back into the job market due to age or lack of skill.

How much is a kidney worth?

Interesting question. In the United States, it is absolutely illegal to sell a kidney (or any other organ) or to be compensated by a recipient for donating a kidney. This may be a good podcast episode because it’s an interesting discussion although I do strongly believe selling organs should remain illegal for a lot of reasons.

Anyway, I’ve heard stories of people in underdeveloped countries being offered as little as $6,000 for a kidney. Apparently a kidney can go for $1000 to $150,000 on the black market but honestly, this is all speculation since I don’t have any friends working in the black market. Kidneys are the most common organ to be sold illegally but they are definitely not the most expensive. Heart is most expensive, followed by liver, then kidney. But let’s be honest, heart and liver transplants are MUCH more difficult to get right than kidney transplants (in my opinion).