Risks and quality-of-life changes in living kidney donors

Abstract

Introduction Although the benefits of living donor organs for recipients are well documented, the risks and quality-of-life changes in living kidney donors are seldom reported. Methods From July 1992 to June 2002, all living kidney donors underwent regular follow-up at our hospital. The MOS 36-item short-form health survey (SF-36), a standardized questionnaire to measure quality of life, was used in this study. Furthermore, donor renal function and associate complications were assessed. Results Seventeen donors answered the questionnaire, including eight men and nine women of mean age of 41 years (range = 25 to 56). No perioperative mortality was noted. No proteinuria or hematuria was found during long-term follow-up. The mean serum creatinine level was 0.95 ± 0.22 mg/dL before the operation. The postoperative mean serum creatinine levels at 6 months, 1 year, and 3 years were 1.22 ± 0.34, 1.19 ± 0.20, and 1.29 ± 0.21 mg/dL, respectively. Two cases underwent scar revision and one complained long-term wound pain for more than 1 year. One donor became depressed because of graft failure in her son. The SF-36 scores were 84.4 ± 4.4 (physical function), 84.0 ± 4.7 (role-physical), 78.4 ± 8.0 (body pain), 81.5 ± 5.9 (general health), 83.2 ± 3.7 (vitality), 83.9 ± 5.9 (social functioning), 79.9 ± 4.1 (role-emotional), and 78.6 ± 2.3 (mental health), respectively. Conclusion The quality-of-life changes and risks after donation are low; most donors are concerned about cosmetic problems and pain-related scar formation.