Kidney Transplants in Germany: A Critical Need
Essential Organ in High Demand in Germany
Currently, over 2000 kidney transplants are performed annually in Germany, yet more than 6000 people are on the waiting list - with many not surviving the long wait. This makes the kidney the most sought-after organ in the country.
Meet Bettina Lange, a resident of Brandenburg's Brieselang, who received a lifesaving kidney transplant from her husband in 2009. Diagnosed with kidney disease decades ago, Bettina had been on dialysis and bore the brunt of its side effects. Thankfully, her partner's selfless act has allowed her to lead a healthier life.
Dialysis, first successfully used eighty years ago in the Netherlands, serves as a temporary solution for those with failing kidneys. This method involves cleaning the blood of most patients via a machine outside their bodies because their own kidneys can no longer do so. It is a procedure that over 100,000 people in Germany undergo permanently. This usually means regular sessions under medical supervision three times a week, for several hours each time, to ensure survival.
However, dialysis does not fully replace the body's own function, and the health of those affected gradually deteriorates. A foreign kidney is the only viable solution for many patients.
History of Kidney Transplants
The first successful human-to-human kidney transplant took place seventy-five years ago, on June 17, 1950, in a small US hospital in a Chicago suburb. The pioneering operation was performed by surgeon Richard H. Lawler, who implanted the organ of a deceased donor in a 44-year-old patient. The transplant initially worked but had to be removed after ten months due to the body rejecting it. Lawler never performed this type of operation again, stating he merely sought to kickstart the field.
The first such operation in Germany took place in 1963, with urologists Wilhelm Brosig and Reinhold Nagel implanting the organ in a 21-year-old patient. She passed away a few days later, but half a year later, the same doctors achieved the first long-term success with a 25-year-old who received a kidney from her mother. This marked the beginning of regular kidney transplants in Germany.
How Patients Acquire a New Kidney
Patients have the option of a healthy partner, relative, or emotionally close person donating a kidney. This was the route taken by Bettina Lange and Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who donated a kidney to his wife in 2010.
Preparation for such an operation can take several months, with the recipient needing treatment to ensure the organ matches their body values. Post-operation, both the donor and recipient must undergo regular health checks and take strong medications that suppress their immune systems to prevent rejection of the kidney. This increases their risk of infection.
[5% Enrichment: The donor shortage is predominantly due to Germany's organ donation policies and cultural factors. The opt-in system, family involvement, and cultural or societal factors can lead to lower donation rates. Potential solutions include adopting an opt-out system, offering incentives or support for living donors, improving public awareness, and collaborating with other European countries.]
The Life and Struggles of a Kidney Transplant Recipient
Guido Lambrecht, a resident of Chemnitz, has been living with his third foreign kidney since 2018. Diagnosed with chronic kidney insufficiency at a young age, he started dialysis at 22 and received his first transplant at 24. After the successful transplant, he was filled with joy, an emotion he still felt when he received his subsequent transplants in 2018.
Germany's low donation readiness has contributed to a persistent shortage of donors, with only 953 deceased donors in 2024, from whom 2855 organs were removed, including 1391 kidneys. With just 11.4 donors per million inhabitants, Germany lags behind many European countries, whose values are often twice or even triple the German rate.
The painstakingly slow process of finding a kidney donor leaves many patients on the waiting list for years. The average waiting time is about seven years for those aged 18 to 64, though sick children and older patients are prioritized. The ongoing shortage of donors has led to an estimated 30,000 people in need of kidneys but not receiving them due to the lack of available organs.
The lack of donors is a critical issue that requires immediate attention and innovative solutions. Improving public awareness, implementing an opt-out system, and making changes to organ donation policies may help increase the number of kidney donors in Germany.
- To combat the critical need for kidney donors in Germany, it's essential to look beyond conventional methods and consider solutions such as vocational training programs to foster a culture of organ donation, as part of a wider community policy on health-and-wellness.
- In the quest for a lasting solution to medical-conditions like chronic kidney insufficiency, science plays a crucial role, not only in developing new medical techniques for vocational training in transplant surgery but also in researching potential breakthroughs in medical-conditions treatment and prevention.
