Hard to Get (And Keep)
After transplants, organ recipients face handsful of immune-suppressing drugs per day and the constant threat of rejection.
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The kidney’s rank among most frequent organ transplants; in distant second: the liver
78,611
Number of patients on the waiting list for a kidney in June 2008
5
Percentage of patients who die while on the waiting list
15–20
Typical number of pills an organ recipient takes each day to avoid rejection
37
Number of common side effects—including diabetes mellitus, hypertension, abnormal renal function, tremor
and infection—of tacrolimus, the most commonly prescribed immunosuppressant
50–64
Age range in which one is most likely to receive a kidney transplant
92.4
Percentage of transplanted kidneys still functioning after one year
49.3
After 10 years (failure most often occurs because the body rejects the organ despite the immunosuppressants)
