EFN

For many kidney donors, one of the largest concerns of donating their kidney is how their body will react over a long period of time. While this is a serious concern for many, recent studies have shown that this should not be a concern as kidney donors leave just as healthy lives as non-donors.

A study completed by John Hopkins University showed that kidney donors have a similar long-term survival rate as people who do not donate a kidney. The study followed 80,000 patients who donated a kidney between 1994 and 2009. The survey also compared them to over 9,000 healthy participants for a period of 6 years.

While over a long period of time kidney donors are just as likely to have a long life, they do have a much higher mortality rate for the first 90 days following surgery. This is mainly due to the inherent risks of undergoing surgery. The researchers also determined that those with health risks, including high blood pressure, had a much higher risk of dying after surgery than those who were healthy before hand.

Due to the results of the study, experts still believe that kidney donation is safe and should continue to be practiced.