Addressing Barriers to Living Kidney Donation: Where Do We Stand

Despite significant efforts to manage chronic kidney disease, its prevalence continues to rise. Patients who require dialysis experience higher rates of mortality and morbidity, making kidney transplantation the best available treatment for suitable candidates. It is crucial to tackle the challenges that can hinder kidney donation, particularly from living donors, to improve the transplantation process. Many potential donors express concerns about the risk of future kidney failure and possible surgical complications after donation. Additionally, factors such as age, gender, and levels of education and awareness regarding kidney transplantation and donation play a role in these decisions. The impact of religious beliefs and cultural backgrounds is another area that warrants further investigation to understand its relationship with donation rates. This article reviews the potential obstacles to living kidney donation and discusses strategies that may enhance the likelihood of kidney donations.