关于活体肾脏捐赠你应该知道的10件事

1. Living kidney donation is the best option for people who need a new kidney. 

Many living donors don't want their loved ones to wait months or even years for a kidney on the national transplant waiting list. Transplant surgeons have successfully performed living kidney donation surgeries since the 1950s. 事实上, donating a kidney is the most common living organ donation.

2. 活体肾脏捐献是安全的. 

如果你身体健康, donating a kidney won't make you more likely to get sick or have major health problems. 像任何手术一样，这个过程也有一些风险. 但总的来说，活体肾脏捐献是安全的. 在大多数情况下, donating a kidney will not not raise your risk of kidney disease, 糖尿病, 或者其他健康问题.

3. You don't have to be related to someone to donate a kidney to them. 

事实上, one in four living organ donors is not biologically related to the recipient (the person who receives a donated organ). 配偶, 姻亲, 亲密的朋友, 教会成员, 甚至同一个社区的成员都可以成为活体捐献者.

It's true that family members have a higher chance of being a good match. But living donor transplants are more successful compared to kidneys from deceased donors because these kidneys come from living donors.

4. 你不需要两个肾脏来保持健康. 

It might surprise you to learn that your body doesn't need two kidneys to perform an important job--removing waste and regulating your metabolism. After donating, your remaining kidney will take on the work of both kidneys.

5. Your blood and tissue type must be compatible with your recipient's. 

除了健康, living donors must have compatible blood and tissue types with the kidney recipient. The transplant team will perform tests to see if your blood and tissues are compatible (are a healthy match) with the kidney recipient. If they aren't, our living donor program can also educate you about the 配对捐赠计划.

6. You will have tests, screening, and evaluation to make sure you're a good match. 

The transplant team will perform psychosocial and medical tests to help ensure you will stay healthy after your donation. 您将进行的一些测试包括：

• 血液测试,
• 尿液测试,
• 影像检查，以及
• 癌症筛查结果.

7. Your hospital stay will be short and you can get back to work fairly quickly. 

Most 活体肾脏捐赠者s stay in the hospital for zero to one day. 这取决于你的工作, you can return to work as soon as two weeks or as late as eight weeks after your surgery. You also shouldn't lift anything heavier than 10 pounds for the first six weeks after your surgery.

8. 你还是可以生孩子的. 

捐肾不会让你更难 怀孕或生孩子. Living kidney donation doesn't cause fertility problems in women or men. Still, women should wait one year after donating a kidney before they get pregnant. 这给你的身体足够的时间来愈合.

9. 你可以和以前捐过款的人谈谈. 

Our 活体肾脏捐赠者 program can help you speak with someone from our program who has donated a kidney. 捐助者 often find it's helpful to talk with another donor about their experiences.

10. 你不需要和收信人住在同一个地方. 

你可以住在这个国家的任何地方. Most of your testing can be done at a lab or hospital near your home. 你的手术将在犹他大学医疗中心进行. There are also organizations that can help you pay for travel costs.