[Organ and tissue shortage in France].
BACKGROUND
Despite an increase in the number of brain deaths over the past 10 years, France faces a shortage of organs for transplantation. A high percentage of families oppose organ donation. Over the past decade, the mean age of organ donors has risen by 10 years.


METHODS
Specific provisions of the public health code have regulated transplantation activity since 1994. Implementation of the Transplant Plan in 2000 led to the investment of substantial financial and human resources in this area. The data reported here come from the 2004 report of the French Transplantation Agency, now the Biomedicine Agency, and from its database.


RESULTS
Data for 2004 show more than 2500 listed donors, with at least one organ taken from 1291 and more than 4000 organ transplants. The donors' mean age was 47 years. Cerebrovascular diseases accounted for most of the deaths; traffic accidents, which have decreased substantially in recent years, caused only 16%. The number of people with brain death reported in France is difficult to measure but we estimate the figure to be 3500. Refusal rates remain high and are an obstacle to increasing transplants.


CONCLUSIONS
We need to appeal to live donors. We are also setting up pilot programs to use organs from non-heart-beating donors. With these new initiatives we hope to reach rates equal to those in Spain, the European leader in organ transplants.
Guerrini
Patrice
P
Agence de la biomédecine, SRA 7 Île-de-France/Centre/les Antilles, CHU de Bicêtre, Pavillon Paul Langevin, Le Kremlin Bicêtre (94). Electronic address: patrice.guerrini@biomedecine.fr.
Claquin
Jacky
J
Agence de la biomédecine, SRA 7 Île-de-France/Centre/les Antilles, CHU de Bicêtre, Pavillon Paul Langevin, Le Kremlin Bicêtre (94).
D005602:France; D006801:Humans; D014015:Tissue Banks; D014019:Tissue Donors / Q000600:supply & distribution; D009927:Tissue and Organ Procurement / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014180:Transplantation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*