The Biomedicine Agency wants to increase the number of living kidney donations. For this, it is launching an information campaign until 3 November.
It is, in a way, the ultimate gift. Every year, organ transplants allow 3,600 people to escape kidney failure or dialysis. Among them, 576 received a kidney from a living donor. A great progression which still needs to improve, according to the Biomedicine Agency.
The institution therefore launched, from October 16 to November 3, a information campaign for patients and caregivers. The objective: to encourage potential donors to come forward. For this, radio and television spots will be broadcast. Posters are also planned on the Internet.
Few complications
If the Biomedicine Agency is so active, it is also because the number of recipients on the waiting list far exceeds the number of organs available. While 3,600 transplants were performed in 2016, more than 17,500 patients were in need. In fact, the kidney is the most requested organ in France. It is also the only organ that can be fully donated by a living person.
The gap must therefore be reduced. However, “transplantation from a living donor is possible because the risks incurred by the donor in the short and long term are low”, specifies the Biomedicine Agency. Complications related to sampling remain infrequent. And less than a quarter of the volunteers complained of pain around the scar.
Patients also fare better when the donation is from a living person. 10 years after the transplant, three quarters of the grafts are still functional. Not only does their life expectancy increase, but they also regain correct kidney function.
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