Dialysis patients who smoke less likely to get transplant

Dialysis patients who smoke are less likely to get a kidney transplant and are more likely to die earlier than non-smoking kidney disease sufferers, according to a new study led by Limerick researchers.

The findings, published in the online medical journal BMC Nephrology, provide compelling evidence that smoking reduces overall life expectancy of dialysis patients. It also finds their overall poor chances of receiving a kidney transplant.

“Smoking remains a major modifiable risk factor for adverse outcomes for men and women on dialysis. It shortens their lifespans and reduces their overall chances of kidney transplantation,” said Prof Austin Stack MD, lead author and consultant nephrologist at University Limerick Hospitals and director of UL Health Research Institute.