[Living kidney donation--selection criteria for the donor]

In Germany, the average waiting time for a kidney is between five and six years. Living kidney donation has a unique status among the various alternatives for shortening the waiting list. The frequency of living kidney donations has increased from 3.9% in 1993 to 19.1% in 2005. The German transplantation law of 1997 permits living kidney donation as a possibility if a suitable organ from a deceased donor is not available at the time of organ removal. Organs from living persons that are suitable for donation include primarily the kidney, but also parts of the liver, the lung and sometimes also the small intestine. The continuously improving immunosuppressive treatment procedures in the meantime have made transplantation to recipients with increased risk also possible.