Kidney transplantation: the evolving challenges.
Kidney transplantation is the treatment of choice for patients with end stage renal disease. Kidney transplantation not only improves the quality of life but also prolongs life. Over the last decade, the short-term allograft survival rate has been improved dramatically. Chronic allograft nephropathy and death from cardiovascular diseases become predominant causes of later graft loss. Prevention and treatment of these disease processes require a comprehensive approach. The ever-increasing shortage of organ supply becomes the greatest challenge for the transplant community and modern medicine. More and more patients are waiting for organs; many of them are dying while waiting. Xenotransplantation and organ engineering and cloning are promising techniques and can potentially provide organs for transplantation in the future.
Zhang
Rubin
R
Department of Medicine, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, USA.
Kumar
Prem
P
Ramcharan
T
T
Reisin
Efrain
E
D000818:Animals; D006085:Graft Survival; D006801:Humans; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000601:surgery; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000502:physiology / Q000639:trends*; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014019:Tissue Donors / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D014183:Transplantation, Heterologous / Q000639:trends