Kidney Transplants (WJEC GCSE Biology): Revision Note

Kidney Transplants

• A kidney transplant involves surgically inserting a healthy kidney into the body; the new kidney replaces non-functioning diseased kidneys

• Implanted kidneys must come from donors with a similar 'tissue type' to the patient

  • This reduces the risk that the new kidney will be rejected by the patient's immune system

  • Close family members are more likely to have similar tissue types to the recipient

• Even with tissue typing the new kidney may still be rejected by the immune system over time

• This immune response needs to be suppressed by taking immunosuppressant drugs

  • The recipient will need to continue taking these drugs for life

  • These drugs increase the likelihood that an individual will catch other infections due to their suppressed immune system

Kidney transplant diagram

The transplanted kidney is inserted further down the body, in the hip area, but connected to the vena cava, aorta and bladder in the same way as the diseased kidneys; the non-functioning kidneys are not usually removed from the body