Posted on: 4:25 pm, May 21, 2012, by Brent Campbell, updated on: 05:31pm, May 21, 2012

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Doctors at Forsyth Medical Center aren’t surprised by a study released at the National Kidney Foundation’s Spring Conference that reports the available pool of living donors is shrinking because donors are too overweight to donate organs safely.

A New York transplant center compiled the study, which said 22 percent of the 100 random people studied were too heavy to donate. Only 18 fell within normal weight guidelines and the rest were between healthy and obese.

Dr. Al Hadley, Head of Nephrology at Forsyth Medical Center sees the problem in his practice all the time.

“Its not surprising given how much obesity we see in our practice everyday,” Hadley said. “It’s definitely an eyeopener to realize of all the patients we’ve got waiting for kidneys that many of their potential donors are not going to be donors because of their weight.”

Hadley said surgery is risky for overweight patients and doctors don’t want to take a kidney from someone that may need it later.

While living donors are in demand, doctors said procuring organs from deceased donors can’t keep up with the need of those awaiting transplants.

Doctors said the study is further proof that obesity is becoming an expensive and deadly health problem in America.

...