A kidney transplant is recommended for children who have serious kidney dysfunction and will not be able to live without dialysis or a transplant.

In children, some of the most common kidney diseases for which transplants are performed include birth defects in the kidneys/genitourinary tract, familial/inherited disease, nephrotic syndrome, or systemic diseases such as lupus, hypertension or diabetes.

However, not all cases of those diseases require kidney transplantation. Always consult your physician for a diagnosis.

For the majority of patients, kidney transplantation offers better survival and better quality of life compared to remaining on dialysis. 

All medications may have side effects, and children may experience side effects differently than adults.

In general, medications that protect the kidney from rejection do so by suppressing your child’s immune system.  This increases your child’s risk of infection and malignancy (cancer).

Medications can cause high blood sugar or diabetes; high blood pressure; electrolyte imbalance; skin changes; weight gain; nausea, vomiting or diarrhea; thinning of hair.

Most patients are able to return to school or work within 3 months of their transplant surgery.

Of course, everyone’s recovery is different, so you will have to see how you are feeling as the time nears for you to make the decision to return to work or school. During this time period, your child will need to come for frequent visits to the hospital to monitor their new kidney and overall health. 

For younger children who are enrolled in grades 1-12 in the five boroughs, your social worker will help in arranging home instruction with the NYC Board of Education.

If your child's school is outside the five boroughs, your social worker and doctor will write a letter to your school to inform them that they must arrange home instruction.

For older patients enrolled in college, if your child's transplant occurs during the school year, he or she may need to take a leave of absence or defer a semester. Your social worker can assist in writing a letter to your child’s academic institution.

We understand that having a kidney transplant during the school year disrupts your child's education. What should your child's teacher know?

Your Pediatric Nephrology and Transplant Team have put together letters to give to your child's teacher and other school officials to help them better understand the upcoming challenges that your child will face. We have also written a second letter to give to your other children's teachers because we understand that a transplant affects the entire family. Please contact your social worker for a copy of these letters.

The great news is that incompatibility really isn’t much of a barrier in kidney transplantation anymore.

Due to the widespread availability of kidney paired exchange, it is possible to find a compatible donor for your child, usually within a fairly short timeframe (several months).

As a founding member center of the National Kidney Registry, our transplant program is uniquely positioned to offer your child the opportunity for transplantation. 

As described above, each child is assessed individually to develop a plan. For potential living donors, the size of your kidney is just one factor that goes into our decision on the timing of your child’s transplant.

However, parents often serve as a living donor for their young children, so it is definitely possible to fit an adult-sized kidney into a child. 

There is no exact age that your child needs to be in order to be considered for a kidney transplant.

The timing of transplant depends on multiple factors that include your child’s age, weight, nutritional status, other medical conditions, and availability of a living kidney donor.

Our team assesses each pediatric patient individually and works to develop a plan that fits the needs of the child and their family.