Transplanting organs is a complex process, although it can give a new lease of life to recipients. The kidney is the most frequently transplanted organ, both in the UK and around the world. However, there is a discrepancy between the number of patients waiting for a transplant and the number of available organs; only around one third of those waiting per year receive their transplant. The number of patients registered for a kidney transplant increases each year, and has risen by 50 per cent since 2000.
Kidney transplants come from two main sources: the living and the