title: Live kidney donors - assessment and follow up.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Live kidney donation has increased steadily over the past decade, both in Australia and internationally. In some centres more than 50% of patients receiving a kidney transplant do so from a living related or unrelated donor. Live nondirected or altruistic donation has become more popular, as have paired exchange programs. General practitioners may be involved in pre-donation counselling and the assessment and follow up of otherwise healthy kidney donors.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This overview outlines the clinical pathway and considerations required pre- and post-live kidney donation and highlights some of the uncertainties of donor nephrectomy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Live donation requires comprehensive physical, psychological and immunological assessment of the donor-recipient pair. Assessment requires an integrated approach that incorporates the skills of a number of clinicians and allied health practitioners. General practitioners have a crucial role in the counselling, assessment and follow up of live kidney donors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Renal Medicine, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and University of Sydney, New South Wales. vicki.levidiotis@emails.cs.nsw.gov.au
authors.forename: Vicki
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Levidiotis
mesh_terms: D001315:Australia; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood / Q000652:urine; D003376:Counseling; D046148:Donor Selection; D006801:Humans; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D019520:Living Donors; D009392:Nephrectomy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010819:Physician's Role; D010821:Physicians, Family; D011182:Postoperative Care / Q000379:methods* / Q000523:psychology; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000652:urine; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011300:Preoperative Care / Q000379:methods* / Q000523:psychology
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers