1. Is this increase due to more kidney failure cases, better reporting, or slower transplants?
There are a few reasons for the growing kidney transplant waitlist: actually, there's more chronic kidney disease now because of more diabetes, high blood pressure, and other obesity and lifestyle stuff, and at the same time, people are more aware, there are more transplant centers, referrals are happening earlier, and our reporting systems are stronger, so more cases get detected and registered. Put together, the bigger disease burden plus better reporting explain why the numbers are up.
2. Are nephrologists seeing patients reach end-stage renal disease at younger ages?
Indeed, this pattern is alarming because patients with diabetes had been typically diagnosed with kidney failure during their 50s or 60s a decade ago. Presently, there are multiple patients, as early as their mid to late 30s, that require dialysis or transplantation because of end stage renal disease. The major contributing factors include earlier onset of diabetes, the prevalence of elevated blood sugar levels and high blood pressure, and rising rates of obesity amongst younger individuals. Because many patients do not have routine health exam(s), kidney function isn't assessed until significant damage has occurs – by that point, the kidneys have sustained considerable damage with limited treatment options available to slow or even reverse that damage.
3. What percentage of patients on the waiting list are likely to never receive a kidney in time?
Almost 70% of people on the kidney transplant waiting list are estimated to never get a kidney. The main reason for such an outcome is the huge difference between the number of patients who need a transplant and the number of available donor kidneys. Among the causes of this gap are late registration for transplant waiting lists, low awareness and discussion of transplant as an option, and medical complications that develop over time, making patients unsuitable for surgery. The combination of these factors has drastically lowered the chance of a timely transplantation even though there have been advances in transplant care.
4. Is fear and misinformation about organ donation a large deterring factor?
Indeed, the issue of organ donation is affected by fear and misconceptions, such as religious beliefs, a lack of confidence within the healthcare industry, inconsistencies regarding “brain death” and “deceased donation.” There are also uncertainties regarding what actually takes place during the process of organ donation, and that is the reason why there is a reticence during a moment when it is most required.
5. Is There an Increase in the Willingness of Families to Donate the Organs of Deceased Relatives?
Although there has been a positive drift towards the attitude of donating organs from the deceased, especially among the youth and aware relatives, the level of organ donation in India is still below the international average. Although there has been a positive improvement in this aspect because of proper counseling sessions conducted by experts and increased community involvement through awareness campaigns, there is still a long way to be covered.