Sex matters in organ transplant
- More women than men become live donors
The statistics on organ transplants carried out in Nepal’s two major pubic hospitals suggest new and shocking insights—more women than men have become live donors since the service began some two years ago.
Records at the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH) and Bir Hospital, the only institutions authorised to operate kidney transplants in the country, show that out of the total 180 kidney donors, over 120 were women. Interestingly, when it comes to receiving the organs, over 76 percent are males. Of the total 180 donations—70 from Bir and 110 from TUTH—only 42 were for female patients.
Doctors say more women than men become live organ donors for a number of factors. Women, they said, are more vulnerable to direct or indirect pressure from the family members. “Sons, brothers, fathers and other male members are less likely to donate their organs than their female counterparts,” Dr Divya Singh, senior nephrologist at TUTH.
The records at the Bir Hospital show that of the total 70 transplants, only 9 were female recipients, while the rest (61) were males. Only 15 of the 70 organ donors were males. Most of the donors at the Bir and TUTH are mothers, followed by wives and sisters.
Offering their explanation to the skewed male-female ratio, doctors said the society often sees male as a precious member of the family and as the breadwinner, which forces them to “save” the male members in whatsoever cost.
“Generally, it is easier for male patients to get kidney donors. The emotional attachment of the mother and wife to their beloved is one of the reasons behind high number of generous female donors,” Dr Singh said.
Doctors also said very few female patients are brought to the hospital for organ transplants.
Chief of the kidney transplant unit at the Bir Hospital, Dr Pukar Chandra Shrestha, has one observation. “We see that if a female member has a renal failure, they bring the patient only for few days for dialysis,” Dr Shrestha said.
“Many males, especially those who are uneducated, think it is better to bring a new wife than to invest a huge sum on the ailing one.”
The situation is not unique to Nepal, though. According to a recent article published by All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS), out of the 200 transplant cases, only 19 percent were female recipients. It is estimated that around 2.8 million people in Nepal have some sort of kidney problems, while 3,000 people suffer from kidney failure every year, and 90 percent of them die without proper treatment. The first successful kidney transplant was performed at TUTH on 8 August 2008, while Bir Hospital started the service in the same year from 12 December.
Doctors say receiving a live organ from a male donor is much safer than from a female for a male patient. A research carried out at the University of Heidelberg, Germany, showed that men had a 22 percent higher risk of rejecting or losing a donated kidney from a woman than one from a man within one year of transplant.
Posted on: 2012-01-03 08:53
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