Life-Saving Transplants: The Persistent Need for Kidneys in Germany
Germany's High Demand for This Specific Organ
A staggering figure of over 6,000 people in Germany are currently waiting for a kidney transplant, with only about 2,000 being found each year. Despite advancements in medicine, the demand far outweighs the supply.
Bettina Lange, a 68-year-old resident of Brandenburg's Brieselang, is one such patient who received a new lease on life when her husband donated one of his kidneys to her in 2009. "I hope it lasts a lifetime!" she exclaims, her optimism evident despite her challenging journey.
Dialysis, a process that filters toxins from the blood outside the body, is the temporary solution for many end-stage kidney disease patients. However, it fails to fully replicate the body's own function, leading to a gradual deterioration of the patient's health. A foreign kidney is the only viable long-term solution.
Pioneering Transplants: Then and Now
On 17th June 1950, a groundbreaking event took place at a small US hospital in a Chicago suburb. Surgeon Richard H. Lawler performed the world's first successful human-to-human kidney transplant, implanting an organ from a deceased donor into a 44-year-old patient in a mere 45 minutes. Although the transplant functioned initially, it had to be removed after ten months due to the body's rejection. Lawler, intrigued by the procedure, never performed this type of operation again.
The first such operation in Germany took place in 1963, with the successful implantation of a kidney into a 25-year-old patient by West Berlin urologists Wilhelm Brosig and Reinhold Nagel. Since then, around 100,000 kidneys have found new homes in Germany.
Acquiring a New Kidney: Pathways and Challenges
Patients can find a suitable donor in a partner, relative, or close friend who volunteers to donate a kidney. Like Bettina Lange and Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who donated his kidney to his wife Elke Büdenbender in 2010.
Recipients must take strong medication to suppress their immune system to prevent rejection of the transplanted kidney. This increases their susceptibility to infections. They should also maintain a specific diet and avoid certain foods such as blue cheese, certain citrus fruits, and pomegranates.
Most healthy donors can return to their normal lives shortly after the transplantation, despite regular check-ups. These individuals typically retain around 70% of their original kidney function, which is sufficient for a normal life.
Two-thirds of the transplants come from deceased donors. Of the 2,075 kidney transplants in Germany in 2024, about one-third were from living donors, and the remaining 1,433 were from deceased donors.
Applying Science to Address the Shortage
The ongoing shortage of volunteers has prompted discussion about implementing an opt-out system, where consent is presumed unless explicitly withdrawn. This approach, used in countries like Sweden and Wales, has resulted in higher donation rates compared to the current opt-in system in Germany.
Guido Lambrecht, a 57-year-old from Chemnitz, has been living with his third transplanted kidney since 2018. He underwent dialysis at a young age and waited an average time (ranging from 2 to 7 years) for each of his transplants.
The waiting time between the start of dialysis and the transplant operation can be lengthy, averaging around seven years for those aged 18 to 64, according to a 2024 study by the University Hospital of Kiel. Children and elderly individuals are given priority, with faster processing times in these cases.
- The community policy should consider the implementation of an opt-out system for organ donation, similar to Sweden and Wales, to address the persistent shortage of kidneys.
- Bettina Lange, a resident of Brandenburg's Brieselang, received vocational training in health-and-wellness after her kidney transplant to maintain her newfound health and manage her chronic-kidney-disease.
- Chronic-diseases and medical-conditions often lead to end-stage kidney disease, creating a need for vocational training in fitness-and-exercise and nutrition to help manage their physical well-being.
- Science has made significant strides in the field of transplants, with the world's first successful human-to-human kidney transplant taking place on 17th June 1950, even though the transplanted kidney had to be removed after ten months due to rejection.
