Living Donor Activity

Living donor kidney transplant rates vary across the world and this heterogeneity arises from the different socio-cultural environments and legislative rules in place to encourage the practice. In countries with an established deceased donor infrastructure, living kidney donor programs have complemented the national kidney allocations systems but invariably been championed as the treatment of choice. The success of encouraging living donor kidney transplantation in these countries has led to significant component of overall kidney transplantation activity arising from living kidney donors, although more kidney transplants arise from deceased donors. However, it is in countries which lack established national deceased donor programs that the benefit of living donor kidney transplantation can be fully realised. In these developing countries, living donor kidney transplantation activity constitute the majority if not the entirety of all kidney transplant rates. While translating best practice from high living donor activity countries to boost rates are necessary, spreading this practice to countries with minimal transplantation activity should be encouraged.