Kidney transplantation from living unrelated donors

Kidney transplant candidates increasingly are looking to their relatives, s pouses, and even friends for a better chance at transplantation. The wail f or a cadaver kidney might be 2-5 years. Although kidneys from well-matched family members have been transplanted with excellent results for many years , accepting living donors who an genetically unrelated to the patient has n ot been encouraged until recently. Results show that, among 1700 patients w ho received kidney transplants from living unrelated donors in the United S tates from 1995 through 1998, the one- and projected ten-year graft surviva l rates were 92% and 67%, respectively. These results are superior to the 8 7% and 50% rates for more than 26,000 cadaver kidney transplants during the same period. Risks to the donor are low (<0.005% mortality and <0.3% serio us complications) but not absent. Thus, motivated spouses, friends, and ado pted or stepfamily members can play an important role in the rehabilitation of patients who need a kidney transplant.