ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION Kidney transplantation should be strongly considered for all medically suitable
patients with chronic and end-stage renal disease. A successful kidney transplant saves lives and greatly enhances quality of life.12 Hundreds of thousands of pa tients worldwide have received a kidney transplant since the mid-1950’s. Currently, in the U.S., there are over 100,000 persons living with a functioning kidney trans plant. This number represents only a fraction of the nearly 400,000 persons en rolled in the U.S. end-stage renal disease (ESRD) program. Figure 6.1 illustrates the number of ESRD patients on either dialysis therapy or living with a functional kidney transplant according to age. The median age of a transplant patient is 40 years and that of a patient on dialysis 64 years.
