WS MoreOrLess: Liver Transplant.
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
This is the short edition of More or Less, first broadcast on the BBC World Service.
Thank you for downloading from the BBC. For details of our complete range of podcasts and our terms of use, go to bbcworldservice.com slash podcasts.
Hello and welcome to More or Less on the BBC World Service. I'm Hannah Moore.
And I'm Ruth Alexander. We're always pleased when the More or Less inbox pings with a question from a loyal listener, like Henry, who sent this to moreorless at bbc.co.uk.
I'm 21 years old and I've just been listed for a liver transplant. My older brother has offered to be a live liver donor. Could you help us make sense of the risks?
Now, let's put this into context. Henry's one of around 500 people in the UK currently waiting for a liver transplant and it's a scary time for them all. More than a third of the UK population, 21 million people, are registered as organ donors, meaning they've given consent for doctors to transplant their organs after they've died. It sounds a lot, but only 1% of people in the UK die in circumstances where their organs could actually be used. Often that's a car accident or brain haemorrhage. And doctors have to find the right match. Unfortunately for some, that never happens.
But there's the option of a live liver transplant. That's when part of a liver is taken from someone who's living, normally a close relative or friend. And a live transplant means the operation can often be done more quickly, but it does carry its own risk. That friend or relative, in Henry's case his brother, could die as a result of the procedure.
so it's understandable he wants to weigh up the options, and I've found the expert to help. Professor James Neuberger is a consultant in liver medicine at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham in the UK. I asked him what factors affect the waiting time for a liver.
The majority of people wait between 60 and 220 days, depending on the blood group.
What is Henry's situation and why is a liver transplant being considered?
Our listener Henry is B negative blood type. How long on average do people in that group have to wait for a donor liver?
The average wait for a blood group B recipient is about 220 days. But there is considerable variation. Some people wait a lot less and others have to wait a lot longer. The sad fact is that between 15 to 20% of those listed for a transplant will die or become too ill. and so were removed from the transplant list. So that's nearly one in five people on the waiting list, and it again emphasises the need for more donors. Some people who are living may wish to donate part of their liver, usually to a close family member or very close family friend.
What's the risk to the donor population?
The risks that are quoted to the potential donors are a risk of death of about 1 in 250. There are other potential risks. A very small number have needed a liver transplant because too much liver from the donor has been taken away. But the really scary figure is that risk of death of 1 in 250.
So why might somebody go through with a live liver donation instead of having an organ from somebody who's deceased?
Primarily, I think, because of the waiting time. And certainly if any of my close family needed an urgent liver transplant, I would consider very carefully organ donation for them.
So for Henry, it could be a long wait of around 220 days if his brother can't act as a living donor before then. Henry, we hope everything goes really well with your treatment and please keep us updated. And thank you to Professor Neuberger.
How common are available donor livers and what limits organ supply in the UK?
When we hear news reports of a child going missing, we often jump to the worst conclusions. The CBS news channel WUSA recently launched a safety awareness campaign called Every 90 Seconds, which is based on the claim that a child goes missing every one and a half minutes in the US every 90 seconds. It's a figure that's been widely quoted in the media over the past few years, and it sounds alarming because you might reasonably assume it refers to kidnappings. But does it?
The last major study on missing children in the US was carried out way back in 2002.
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Chapters
4 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–2:01
2
What is Henry's situation and why is a liver transplant being considered?
2:01–3:52
3
How common are available donor livers and what limits organ supply in the UK?
3:52–7:40
4
What is a living liver transplant and how does it differ from a deceased-donor transplant?
7:40–9:33