One Kidney is More Than Enough
Living kidney donors survive, thrive, and rarely suffer from kidney problems.
Anthony Thein has a scar running from the left side of his torso to just past his navel. It is only when he catches a glimpse of the scar in the mirror that he thinks: “Oh yeah, that’s where they took the kidney out.”
It is understandable that he forgets, as the operation occurred 42 years ago, in early January, 1967. “Being a donor has not hindered me physically in any way,” says Thein, and he is not alone. As a recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found, living kidney donors live as long or longer and enjoy better quality of life than the general population. It is the first study to follow almost 3700 donors over such a long period of time.
Kidney donors are carefully screened before being allowed to donate, so in some ways it is not surprising that they are generally healthy compared to others who might not pass such screenings. Donors cannot have any trace of diabetes or other chronic diseases, nor can they have high blood pressure or a number of other health issues. It has long been known that the removal of one kidney results in an increase in the other of the primary measure of kidney function, called the glomerular filtration rate or GFR. The average donor quickly regains about 70 percent of the total GFR, and often more in younger and healthier individuals. This study makes it clear that these changes and the donors’ general good health result in long, full lives.
“Quite honestly I think people suspected this all along,” says Hassan N. Ibrahim, the lead author of the study and a physician at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. He says that physicians tended to tell prospective donors that their long-term prognosis is most likely good, but “prior to this study we did not have robust data to make that assertion.”
The robust data he mentions was collected from 3,698 donors, some of whom donated as long ago as 1963. Only 11 donors developed severe kidney problems known as end-stage renal disease, representing a substantially lower rate than is seen in the general population. Among a smaller group of donors, the researchers also conducted tests of quality of life measured both in terms of mental and physical health. The donors’ quality of life was better than the general population 60 percent of the time, Ibrahim says.
“We would like kidney donation to be more prevalent and more common, because we have a lot of people on the waiting list, but our commitment should always be to the donor,” Ibrahim says. With more than 75,000 patients in need of a kidney in the U.S., the average waiting time for the organs from a deceased donor in the United States is five years. According to the National Kidney Foundation, 3,916 patients waiting for a kidney in 2006 died before one became available. Living donation can circumvent the wait, as a donor can give a kidney to a well-matched relative or loved one. In 2007, about 6,000 of the more than 16,500 kidney transplants performed were from living donors.
Some donors didn’t expect that they would remain in such good health. Susan Kivi of St. Paul, Minnesota, who donated a kidney to her brother in 1983, participated in the study and was surprised to hear that her one kidney functions as well or better than the two kidneys that most people have. She says that having this sort of information could reassure potential donors. “I had somebody call me a few years back who wanted to know about it, and she ended up donating to her brother too. I mean, why wouldn’t you want to help somebody? Especially when it’s such a breeze these days.” More than 25 years ago, Kivi took two months off from her work at the Minnesota state lottery in order to donate. Modern techniques allow donors to be back on their feet and working much more quickly, and without the large scars of earlier years.
Although the study’s results are reassuring, Jane Tan, a professor of nephrology at Stanford University Medical Center, who was not involved in the research, wrote an editorial in NEJM about the study and says that it does have limitations. The donors involved were almost universally white, and they were younger than the average age of donors today. These factors make it difficult to extrapolate the results to all potential kidney donors.
“[Living donation] is the one exception in medicine where we take a healthy person and put them under potential harm,” says Tan. “I always point out [to potential donors] that you have to be somewhat comfortable with the unknown. But now when I talk to patients, I can refer to this study and say, ‘well, the largest and longest study has been published.’”
For Anthony Thein, Susan Kivi and others who donate to blood relatives, the decision often is easy if it is a matter of life or death. But as techniques and tissue matching improve and concerns over organ rejection consequently lessen, Tan says this type of information on long-term health may help raise the rates of donation between spouses and other non-blood relatives.
Thein, who was a professor of music in North Dakota for 37 years, says that when he donated, the doctors informed him that they were in essence buying a few more years of life for his younger brother Tom. Forty-two years later, both recipient and donor are alive and well. “When I see my brother – who married one of his nurses from the hospital – with his grandkids and realize that he would not have had that opportunity if I hadn’t been the donor?” Thein says. “Well, that’s satisfaction enough right there, I think.”
Hi I M 25 years old girl…..i have 1 kidney..2nd one was removed 5 year back….actually it was not working since my birth….suddenly 5 year back I got a seviour pain … at tht time I came to knw tht its nt working …I didn’t faced any problem yet…..bt I wanna knw ..will I have any problem during pregnancy or concieving…plz let me knw sooon plz
Ruchika Poddar, March 11, 2009 at 8:36 amhey Ruchika,
i’ve had actually the same diagnoze when i was 24. now i have also left only one kidney and im not having any problems at all (now at 26). I think that “one kidney” will not be a problem and that u will deliver baby just fine as any other women.
best regards
miyco, May 3, 2009 at 5:27 pmMany people are born with only one kidney and do not know it, they lead perfectly healthy happy lives. Isn’t it just so wonderful though that people can donate their kidney to loved ones as Live Donations. If only though more people would sign the donor register so after their death they can save lives. Many lives can be saved this way.
Diane, October 14, 2009 at 2:08 amMy sister Laura Amador and I have been apart of a , coast to coast, kidney paired exchange program involving a altruistic donor, Max Zapata. It is absolutely incredible there are individuals with a high degree of self-sacrifice to donate a kidney to anyone, giving a gift of life; a second chance to live. My sister and I have a website http://www.dancefordonors.org
Amador Siblings, October 17, 2009 at 6:37 pmI AM 42 YEARS OLD MAN AFTER I DOONETED MY LEFT KIDNY I GET MAARIED AND I HAD 2 MALE KIDS,I WANT TO KNOW SHAL I SUFFER IN ANY INFECTION OR ANY PROBLEM IN FEUTURE LIFE, PLEASE HELP ME. MORE OVER I AM A NURSE WORKING IN K.S.A THANKS.
arshad, November 4, 2009 at 10:48 amRespected sir,
ritesh khanna, February 6, 2010 at 8:55 amI just want to know dat if mens having a single kidney problems having a transplant so wats the difficulties he is facing whole life and wat would be the precautions will taken and most imp thing he is newly married couple he is not having a child so after transplant can he birth a child is their any difficulties his partner facing?
sir
sanjay sinha, February 12, 2010 at 3:10 ami am 39 year old male i last my left kidney there was first stage of cance and removed after asucessfull operatin after three month i gone through PET Scan and CT Scan threre is no cancer every thing is ok will i get any problem in my life what precoution i have to take in my life
Hello
greeting for the day,
I am rahul from india and wanted to know if i can sell my kidney to someone who is in need of it.Its sounds stupid when i say “i want to sell” instead of donating because am in need for money and money is oxygen for me right now. please advice me if i can and will not have problem later on.
Please find my details below
age : 23
single
blood group b+
no disease
Please send me a e mail
Rahul, February 18, 2010 at 10:53 amHello guys,
i just wanted to see if its getting posted and the reactions …i dint get any…anyways please dont not send any email …thanks for the article
Rahul, February 18, 2010 at 12:10 pmsir,
masoom, February 20, 2010 at 3:30 ami am 28 yrs healthy person(male)
due to financial problem in my family i decide to sell one of my kidneys can u tell me what cost we will get after selling one kidney plz reply soon its urgent
Is one kidney really ‘more than enough’? In that case, what would be ‘enough’? No kidneys? Two kidneys is ‘more than enough’. One kidney is surely ‘enough’.
Neil, March 11, 2010 at 8:02 ami was born with only one kidney. i dont see any difference in everyday activities. im 12 and the doctor thought i had trisomy 18, because i had one kidney.
ryan, March 12, 2010 at 4:36 pmI am very scared I just recently found out that I have a 5.5 cm mass on my kidney!!!!!!!
ss sadai, March 14, 2010 at 6:38 amI am having a surgery to remove my left kidney on 3/16/2010. need help please
I wanted some tips for maintaining good health with one kidney. my dad’s right kidney was removed some 20 years back due to problems with kidney stones. am scared, i dont want him to face any problems in future..
ashwini, March 25, 2010 at 1:27 amhi friends, i m vaishnavi, my close friend is 20yrs old,male,before 20days it was found that his left kidney stopped functioning and right one is little weak, doctors have told that his left kidney is to be transplanted. he doesnt have any habits like smoking or drinking, but he has got this renal failure. he is too depressed.if he is transplanted will he get any problem??is this a critical problem??? can he lead a normal life? will the transplantation cause side effects?? how much will the surgery costs? where can we get the donor? pls friends reply me :( , waiting for ur replies. thanks a lot for all ur replies. if u get any information abt this pls mail me to the following id,
vaishnavi, March 25, 2010 at 6:53 amvaish.krish11@gmail.com pls help me
hi ashwini , avoid much salts,more fatty(oily) foods. The foods which are considered as irritants to the kidneys are alcoholic beverages, condiments, pickles, certain vegetables like cucumbers, radishes, tomatoes, spinach, rhubarb, watercress and those with a strong aroma such as asparagus, onions, beans, cabbage and cauliflower, meat, gravies and carbonated waters.
see this link friend : http://www.diethealthclub.com/health-issues-and-diet/kidney-stones/diet.html
vaishnavi, March 25, 2010 at 6:59 amI am from chennai, india and wanted to sell one of my kidney cos of financial probs to someone who is in need of it. please if some in need of kidney please mail blsrini66@gmail.com or call #9941939731.
Please find my details below
Age : 42, married, blood group O+
SrinivasBL, April 4, 2010 at 11:47 pmHi
i am Ajay from Mumbai in 2009. my one kidney was not functioning and removed it. i just want to know is there any problem in future arise with my life partner and child born problem after kidney removing my health very well heavy body.if i joint the another kidney how much it will cost and where i get it please let me know.
thanks
ajay, April 9, 2010 at 12:42 amAjay
who cares if u got money problems u should be greatful to have good workin kidneys, my 4 year old son has 1 kidney an its only workin 50%
leonhaughton@hotmail.co.uk
leon, April 25, 2010 at 3:32 pmMy left kidney only worked 6% so i had to get it removed because it produced hormones that caused my blood pressure to rise VERY high! I had the surgery in oct. of 09 and I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT IT IS SOOOO DIFFERENT LIVING WITH ONE KIDNEY!!!! -i can’t do as much activities
-the right one hurts alot!
-my menstrual periods hurt like nothing before
-every time i stand up everything turns black in my eyes and then gets back to normal.
those are just a few things i experiance living with one kidney! those things have never happened to me before the nephrectomy.
lily, May 1, 2010 at 9:16 pmI have lived with one kidney for 18 yrs my right one was removed cuz it did not fully devlope im on high blood pressure meds i try to stay in shape and eat well when i can but now a days salt is in everything so its kinda of hard to kep away from the salt anyways its good to read about other people out their living with one kidney i just hope mines last a long time.
kyle, May 16, 2010 at 1:49 amhey there! My right kidney was removed when i was a 5week old baby. I am now 23. I would just like to know if i will be able to have children, and how many? I live a very normal life (with a bit restrictions ofcause) and are healthy. Also, i am not too well informed about the do’s and don’ts. If someone can just email me this to corrineneethling@yahoo.com. Would mean alot to me. Thanx.
corrine neethling, May 20, 2010 at 7:50 pmHELLO
Baljinder, May 31, 2010 at 2:09 amI am 21 m i have only single kideny it’s Size is 124*61*44mm And there is a
8mm stone in my kidney
Dear Prospective Donor,
We thank you very much for your interest to our Organs Donation Program (ODP :/ 2010-2011)
According to the last report of WHO (World Health Organization),more than 5.000.000 people die Every year of Kidney and Liver diseases in the world.So this ODP is established by our hospital with the assistance of the British Government and many generous organisations In order to save lives of our dear patients.
This year, the goal of our ODP is to assist two selected sub-Saharan African countries (Niger and Togo) Our Charity CHAINOF UNITY which is established in Togo will help these 2 African countries struggling against
- Postpartum disabilities
-AIDS
-Malaria
Last year it were 2 Asian countries Pakistan and Bangladesh which were helped
All the medical processing fees and the profit of the re-transplant of the organs will help for that cause.
We are ready to offer you 95.000.00 US DOLLARS.
But in case we are going to supply your hotel booking here in UK and all others medical expenses + your travel ticket we will offer you 80.000.00 USD to be admitted you have to supply to us the following documents:
1- A copy of your blood type
2- A copy of your HIV Test
3- A Copy of your Passport.
We are awaiting your reply soon
Dr. HILTON SMITH, June 29, 2010 at 8:41 amDr hilton SMITH / Dr. D. BRIMM
hhiltonsmith@yahoo.co.uk / dianabrimm@yahoo.co.uk
To everyone that wants to ‘sell’ rather than to ‘donate’ their Kidney.
In every civilized country, the movement of human organs for money is illegal.
I’m 15, and when I am older I want to donate one of my kidney’s.
Kat, August 26, 2010 at 5:18 amIt’s a shame that hardly anyone here in Australia is willing to donate to others.
i am an experience one kidney being living a perfect life.
matttttttttttttttt, September 1, 2010 at 12:17 pmif any of you booomboclaaaats ever wanna know how fi live with one kidney then by all means get in touch