The wish for renal transplantation

The authors studied the wish for renal transplantation in 268 patients on chronic dialysis. One hundred forty (66%) of 268 patients wished for a transplant, while 71 (34%) did not wish to have one; the wish was not known in 57 (22%) of the patients. Sixty-five percent of the women and 67% of the men wanted to be transplanted. The wish for transplantation was negatively correlated with age. Thus, 78% of the patients below 50 years of age wished for a transplant, versus only 37% of those more than 70. Center patients wished more often for a transplant than patients on self dialysis (68% vs. 59%), but the difference was not significantly different except in patients over the age of 50. The chance of fulfillment (the % transplanted over the % of those who wished to have a transplant) declined with age. While 90% of the patients below age 50 who wished for a transplant could expect to receive one, only 41% of the patients over age 70 who wished for one could expect to receive one. Older patients were also less often asked about their wish. While the wish for a transplant was known in more than 90% of the patients under 50 years of age, it was known in less than one half of those over 70. This investigation shows that the wish for renal transplantation is related to age and mode of dialysis, but not sex. Old patients are often not asked about their preference for mode of treatment.