14 DAY TRIAL // University of Western Ontario epidemiology & biostatistics professor, Amit Garg, says that reduced kidney mass – such as it results from donating a kidney – does not boost the risk of cardiovascular disease.
The expert says that reduced renal mass is not the same as reduced kidney function, a condition that is indeed known to heighten the risk of developing heart problems. Statistically speaking, he adds, there is no difference in the incidence of heart attacks between those who donated, or did not donate, a kidney.
“In the non-donor population, there is a clear association between reduced kidney function and increased risk for heart attack or stroke. The question being asked is if you donate a kidney and have reduced kidney function for that reason does that predispose you to heart attack and stroke?” Garg says.
This investigation was meant to reassure donors and transplant recipients that the selfless gesture the former made did not put them at greater health risks, the UWO team reports.