World Kidney Day occurs this year on the same day as International Women’s Day. A good opportunity to realize that here too, women give more than they receive.
Thursday March 8 is both World Kidney Day and International Women’s Day. A coincidence which gave the opportunity to a team of scientists to observe that, in terms of chronic renal failure and kidney transplant, women are once again at a disadvantage.
Women are more likely to donate their kidneys than men, and more likely to suffer from the more severe stages of chronic kidney disease.
One reason is that they live longer than men with severe chronic kidney disease and take longer to reach the stage requiring transplantation.
More severe kidney failure in women
Across countries, around 12% of the general population has chronic kidney disease (CKD), whether it is the less severe stage (stage 1) or the most severe stage (stage 5).
However, the available data suggests that the rate of chronic kidney disease in women, 14%, is slightly higher than in men (12%), while there are more men than women on dialysis.
#WorldKidneyDay highlights the unique issues and risks that #women face for their kidney health.https://t.co/XpMQtM790s
Have a great #WorldKidneyDay! pic.twitter.com/inznwwFBT8– World Kidney Day (@worldkidneyday) March 8, 2018
Although some diseases more specific to women may explain this difference, including higher rates of kidney infections and autoimmune diseases (such as lupus nephropathy), experts believe that delays in diagnosing or managing these deficiencies. Chronic kidney disease in women puts women at greater risk of progression and greater complications.
Women champions of the donation of life
In high-income countries, available data also shows that 60-65% of kidney transplant recipients are men. Most of this difference is due to the donation of the living, usually by a female relative.
So, while men are much more likely to receive a kidney than women, they are less likely to donate themselves during their lifetime. However, if we look at donations from a deceased donor, the difference between males and females is much smaller.
More altruistic women
In the context of a living donation in Europe, it appears that 36% of clinically suitable women will donate a kidney to their husband. At the same time, only 7% of clinically fit men will donate their wives.
“While it is difficult to determine precisely why more wives than husbands are living donors, analyzes suggest that women are motivated by reasons such as altruism and the desire to help their families. family to survive, ”says Adeera Levin, professor of medicine at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
The challenges of pregnancy with CRF
This day is also a time to reflect on the enormous challenges faced by women with chronic kidney disease who want to have a baby. Despite a higher risk of preterm delivery and preeclampsia, conception is possible even on dialysis.
Preeclampsia, infection of the placenta, and postpartum hemorrhage (major bleeding after childbirth) are the main causes of acute kidney damage in young women and can lead to chronic kidney failure in those who survive.
When the woman is pregnant, daily dialysis is often necessary to ensure a full term pregnancy, for example through home dialysis. But these are costs that cannot be considered elsewhere than in rich countries.
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