Living kidney donation in UK at eight-year low, says NHS

There has been a worrying decline in living kidney donation, health officials have said. NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) said the number of living kidney donors in the UK had dipped to an eight-year low.

Living donation occurs when someone donates one of their organs, usually a kidney, to someone in need. While it is usually to a friend or family member, it also includes donating a kidney to a stranger, known as altruistic donation.

There were 990 living kidney donors in 2017, a 10% decline on the best year on record, 2013, and the lowest figure since 2009, NHSBT said.

Altruistic kidney donation numbers have fallen from a high of 107 in 2013 to 87 in 2017, according to NHSBT, which released the figures to mark World Kidney Day. The health body responsible for organ transplantation said 261 people died last year while waiting for a kidney transplant.

Source: theguardian