What are the effects of donating a kidney on the body?

The kidneys are the body's detoxification organs, which we commonly call kidneys. Poor kidney conditions can also cause problems with people's waist joints. Anyone who has studied medicine knows that in fact one kidney in the human body is working every day while the other is in a resting state. In this society, there are also many kind-hearted people who donate their kidneys to patients with serious illnesses. This is often a great act of kindness that saves lives and is something worthy of admiration. But what effects does donating a kidney have on the body? Come with me to find out

1. Does donating a kidney have any impact?

The kidney is one of the most important organs in the human body. When the body develops severe kidney disease, such as uremia, and the kidneys lose their function, the patient either has to rely on dialysis to prolong life, or undergo a kidney transplant, or wait to die. Of course, what we are talking about here is that both kidneys are non-functional. So when a person donates a kidney to save another person, what impact will it have on the person who donated the kidney? Especially for men, what does losing a kidney mean?

The current mainstream view is: "Losing a kidney will basically not affect life expectancy and health." Many experts believe that for healthy adults, one kidney is sufficient for normal kidney function. It is also introduced that a normal person's two kidneys each have 1 million nephrons (the functional unit of the kidney is called a nephron). Under normal circumstances, the kidneys only need to use 1/3 of the nephrons to meet normal needs. The human body's reserve of 2 million nephrons does not need to be used to its maximum capacity.

Therefore, the saying "donate a kidney to buy a mobile phone" once appeared on the Internet. Obviously, this mainstream saying has a great influence on the public. So later some experts said that theoretically, losing a kidney would not affect a person's normal metabolic activities, but it does not mean that losing a kidney would have no impact on life. If kidney disease occurs, or if the only kidney is not properly maintained, long-term overload work may also lead to renal failure.

2. Precautions after kidney transplantation

First, you need to go to the outpatient clinic for regular follow-up. Generally speaking, this should be done once a week in the first three months after the transplant, once every two weeks for three to six months, and once a month after six months.

Second, it is best for every patient to develop the habit of regularly measuring blood pressure, pulse, body temperature, and urine volume. These basic data should be recorded every day, which will help doctors understand the patient's basic condition.

Third, in the early period after transplantation, especially within three months, since the dose of immune preparations taken is large and infection is easy, you should avoid going to crowded public places.

Fourth, and most importantly, you must strictly follow the doctor's instructions when taking medication after the operation and avoid reducing the dosage without authorization.

Fifth, patients need to undergo regular puncture biopsies of their transplanted kidneys, which helps doctors accurately grasp the dosage of medication that patients are taking.