
Some people get a match within several months, and others may wait several years.Īt Mayo Clinic, surgeons perform more than 650 kidney transplants a year, including numerous complex surgical procedures at campuses in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota. How long you have to wait for a deceased donor organ depends on the degree of matching or compatibility between you and the donor, time on dialysis and on the transplant waitlist, and expected survival post-transplant.
If a compatible living donor isn't available, your name may be placed on a kidney transplant waiting list to receive a kidney from a deceased donor. Only one donated kidney is needed to replace two failed kidneys, making living-donor kidney transplantation an option.īegin the process of becoming a living kidney or liver donor by clicking here to complete a health history questionnaire.
Any other factor that could affect the ability to safely undergo the procedure and take the medications needed after a transplant to prevent organ rejection. Dementia or poorly controlled mental illness. Conditions that may prevent you from being eligible for a kidney transplant include: Some people may also benefit from receiving a kidney transplant before needing to go on dialysis, a procedure known as preemptive kidney transplant.īut for certain people with kidney failure, a kidney transplant may be riskier than dialysis. A kidney transplant can treat chronic kidney disease or end-stage renal disease to help you feel better and live longer.Ĭompared with dialysis, kidney transplant is associated with: Having all of this subspecialized expertise in a single place, focused on you, means that you're not just getting one opinion - your care is discussed among the team, your test results are available quickly, appointments are scheduled in coordination, and your transplant care team works together to determine what's best for you.Ī kidney transplant is often the treatment of choice for kidney failure, compared with a lifetime on dialysis. People with end-stage renal disease need to have waste removed from their bloodstream via a machine (dialysis) or a kidney transplant to stay alive.Īt Mayo Clinic, health care professionals trained in many medical specialties work together as a team to ensure favorable outcomes from your kidney transplant. Chronic glomerulonephritis - an inflammation and eventual scarring of the tiny filters within the kidneys.
Chronic, uncontrolled high blood pressure.End-stage renal disease occurs when the kidneys have lost about 90% of their ability to function normally.Ĭommon causes of end-stage kidney disease include: End-stage renal disease occurs when the kidneys have lost about 90% of their ability to function normally. When kidneys lose this filtering ability, harmful levels of fluid and waste accumulate in the body, which can raise blood pressure and result in kidney failure (end-stage renal disease).