Kidney Transplants Reach Record Number

Kidney Transplants Reach Record Number

By Joseph Collins
14:20, March 13th 2009

According to recent reports, the renal unit at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth carried out a record number of 75 transplants. It is the highest number to have been carried out since the first transplant was performed at the hospital in 1973. Due to the increased ways in which people can make a donation, the South West Transplant Center is now able to perform more transplants that will benefit more people.

“I am delighted we have had another successful year and been able to transplant a record number of patients within the peninsula,” consultant surgeon Jacob Akoh, clinical director for surgery and renal Services said, according to media reports. The success is also due to the remarkable increase in the number of patients coming for kidney tests.

Chronic kidney disease, which is also named “the silent killer,” can strike young and middle-aged adults as well as the elderly. Older people face a higher risk as the condition may also trigger an increased risk of premature heart attacks, strokes and death.
According to the National Kidney Foundation, last year, 8,816 kidney transplants were done with organs from deceased donors and 4,927 from living donors, making kidneys the most commonly transplanted organ in the United States, the United Network for Organ Sharing.

In an attempt to mark World Kidney Day, people with high blood pressure
are advised to have themselves tested for kidney disease. Studies have suggested there might be a link between high blood pressure and kidney disease. It is known that the condition shows no symptoms until it is quite advanced.

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