Learn more about living kidney donor transplants, including what to expect, information on the kidney donation and transplant processes, answers to common questions about living kidney donation, helpful tips and resources and more.
If you need a kidney transplant and are seeking a living donor, having a “champion” to help you in your search can make all the difference. A 2020 study at Johns Hopkins found that participants with a champion were five to six times more likely to find a potential living donor than those without a …
Exercise is a key part of staying healthy, but for people with chronic kidney disease (CKD), staying active can offer even more critical benefits. Engaging in regular physical activity can help control blood pressure, improve cardiovascular health, and maintain a healthy weight, which helps manage CKD and its associated conditions, like diabetes and hypertension. Being …
If you are using a microsite to search for a living kidney donor, the URL you were given is probably a mixture of letters and numbers, like https://nkr.org/TUM285. To make the web address easier to recognize and remember, you might want something more personal to share with friends, family, or potential donors, like www.akidneyforyourname.com. This …
If you’ve been diagnosed with a type of chronic kidney disease (CKD), including polycystic kidney disease (PKD), diabetic kidney disease, or hypertensive nephropathy, you may feel like you’re always waiting—waiting for symptoms to get worse, for your kidney function to decline, for the day when you finally need a transplant. That day may still be …
If you’re in kidney failure, finding a living donor could be your best chance at getting a transplant sooner—and with better long-term results. However, many potential donors don’t even know that living kidney donation is possible. Here’s what you need to know so you can help others understand what living kidney donation is, how it …
If you are considering or planning to have a kidney transplant, you probably know that a successful transplant depends on receiving a kidney that is a good “match” for you. What you may not know is the role de novo DSA plays in determining the risk of rejection of the donated kidney. What Is DSA?
If you’ve been diagnosed with chronic kidney disease (CKD), you may be wondering when to start looking for a living kidney donor. The short answer: sooner than you think. You don’t need to wait until your kidneys fail or until you’re on dialysis to start looking for a donor. In fact, starting early gives you …
If you have been diagnosed with kidney failure and are considering a kidney transplant, you’ve probably heard a lot about matching, such as blood type, tissue type, or antibodies. One word you may not be familiar with is “eplets.” Just like blood and tissue type, eplet matching plays an important role in kidney transplants—how well …
If you need a kidney transplant and have been told that you are “sensitized,” you might be wondering what that really means—and what you can do about it. What is Sensitization? Being sensitized means your immune system has developed antibodies that make it harder to find a compatible organ for transplant. These antibodies may come …