Survey of the current status of renal transplantation in the Arab countries

Abstract EN

To evaluate the current status of renal transplantation in the Arab world, a questionnaire was mailed to prominent renal transplant physicians and surgeons in the Arab countries to get information related to number, donor type, immunosuppressive therapy used and survival of graft and patients who received renal transplantation.

Furthermore, data about rehabilitation and legislation in the Arab countries were also included.

The cost of renal transplantation was estimated from historical data.

There were replies from 14 out of 22 (70%) countries with a total population of approximately 210 million (84%).

Renal transplantation started in most of these countries in the late seventies and early eighties.

In all but one, the renal transplant programs started with live related donations, and continued over the past 1 5-20 years with this type of donation.

There have been 5,680 such operations, performed in a growing number of transplant centers.

Legislation organizing donation from cadaveric donors has been established in only seven of the fourteen countries (50%) and, to date, there are only five countries with specialized centers to organize organ donation.

The overall average graft survival is 87%, 80%, 60%, while patient survival is 96%, 85%, 70%, during one, five and ten years respectively.

Full rehabilitation averaged 50%, partial rehabilitation averaged 40% and complete dependence averaged 10% after renal transplantation in the Arab countries.

We conclude that there is still a need for more efforts to increase the number of renal transplantation, passing legislations that organize organ donation, and increase utilization of cadavers in renal transplantation in the Arab countries.