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Now...About Your HealthOnce you've agreed to be considered a donor, you'll go through an in-depth assessment of your health. It's your health that is of utmost importance to the transplant team. What they want to know is that:
With these three primary goals in mind, here is how donor candidates are medically evaluated. 1. Blood and Tissue CompatibilityBlood Type. The first step is to determine your blood type. There are four blood types, designated by the presence or absence of two antigens—the A antigen and the B antigen. Blood type A means you have the A antigen. Type B means you have the B antigen. Type AB means you have both antigens. Type O means you have neither antigen. You must have a blood type compatible with the recipient or you will not be able to donate. Here is who can donate to whom:
The blood type is determined by drawing your blood and testing it. If you and your potential recipient are not of the same blood
type, there are two things you can consider. One option is called
"paired exchange." Paired exchange involves finding another
donor-recipient pair who have incompatible blood types but your blood
type is compatible with the other recipient, and the other donor's
blood type is compatible with your potential recipient's blood type. In
that situation, you donate to the other recipient, and the other donor
donates to your recipient. This web
page illustrates how paired exchange works. The other option is called "plasmapheresis." Plasmapheresis involves the transplant recipient undergoing removal of the spleen and a special medical process that removes the blood's incompatible antigens. With removal of the recipient's antigens, the donor is able to donate. This web page contains additional information. Note that plasmapheresis is still an experimental procedure and medical insurance may not cover the expense. Be sure to check the insurance plan before proceeding. Tissue Type. A second test of compatibility looks at the match of human leukocyte antigens (HLA). There are many different kinds of antigens, but there are three categories assessed for kidney donation, designated HLA-A, HLA-B, and HLA-DR. You inherit one set of these three antigens from each parent giving you a total of six HLAs. Your antigens are determined by drawing blood and testing it. A similar test is run for the recipient, and the antigens are compared. The closer the match the better because the recipient is less likely to reject the donated organ. You might hear of a "six-of-six" match (all donor and recipient antigens match) or a "half match" (three of the six antigens are the same) or a "zero match" (none of the antigens matches). There was a time when tissue compatibility was important.
However, the development of more effective anti-rejection drugs has
reduced the importance of the HLA match. In fact, some transplant teams
ignore tissue typing. Therefore, even if your degree of matching with
the
donor is relatively low, you may still be considered for donation. See
this page for further discussion of HLA matching. Crossmatching. The third blood test is an important one. Crossmatching is a further testing of antigen compatibility. In this test, white blood cells from you are mixed with blood from the recipient. If the white blood cells are attacked and die, then the crossmatch is "positive," which is a negative as far as your ability to donate. It means the recipient is "sensitized" to the donor—the recipient has antibodies to some of your antigens—so the recipient's immune system would turn on the donated organ and destroy it. If the crossmatch is "negative," you are compatible with the recipient. For a donor and recipient with a "positive" crossmatch, plasmapheresis can also be used as a technique to allow the donation to proceed. At this point, if there is more than one potential donor, the group is winnowed down to one or two. The reason for culling down the group at this point is because the remaining tests are more involved, time consuming, and expensive. 2. Your General HealthAt some point in the screening process, you will have a complete physical exam. You will share your medical history and have a series of tests, such as a chest x-ray, electrocardiogram, blood tests, urine tests, and so on. Female donor candidates may also undergo a gynecological exam and mammography. The purpose of the exam is to ensure you don't have any health conditions that would rule you out as a donor. 3. Health of Your KidneysFollowing a general assessment of your health, the donor evaluation focuses on the integrity of your kidneys with these tests:
The information from this battery of tests is critical to the surgeon for determining which, if any, of your kidneys is best for donation. Generally, the left is preferred because of its longer renal artery. But there may be structural complications in the left kidney that would result in consideration of the right kidney. Because these tests use x-rays, female donor candidates should inform the medical technician if you are pregnant. Also, the tests use a dye that some people may have an allergic reaction to. Again, let the technician know if you have had allergic reactions in the past, especially to iodine. 4. Other AssessmentsDepending on hospital guidelines and transplant team protocol, there may be other assessments, such as psychological and financial reviews:
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