Parting with a Kidney for Money

Neediness and desperation embolden people, sometimes in a very wrong way. In at least one country in Southeast Asia, cases of people suffering extreme poverty and selling a kidney to somehow alleviate their state of destituteness have been in newspaper headlines lately. Does the money these people receive in return for parting with a kidney compensate for the danger they are facing?

Whatever the implication, there is no denying that the paired kidneys are as vital for an individual's continued existence as the other organs, such as the liver and lungs. The kidneys have two essential functions necessary for a healthy life: elimination of wastes and regulation of blood composition. Derangement of these functions is sure cause for worry.

Destruction of kidney tissue by any agent may be serious or even fatal inasmuch as harmful waste products can accumulate in the blood. Evidently, under various irregular conditions, the kidney cells have minimal capability for regeneration. Once the anatomical channels are destroyed by disease, they are not restored to any significant extent.

Kidney damage is often caused by infectious agents. After a sore throat, for instance, kidney disease may set in. It appears that in some situations the infectious agents in the throat find access into the blood stream and lodge in the kidney tissues. In such a situation, the infectious agents, while developing slowly, may cause a gradually advancing destruction of the kidneys. Occasionally, kidney damage may be caused by the poisonous substances of the infectious agents which themselves never lodge in the kidneys.

In cases of blood vessel disease, there may be alterations in the kidney vessels of such a nature as to lessen the provision of blood to those organs. Here, injury to or total destruction of kidney cells is most certain due to lack of oxygen and nourishment.

Precipitation of urinary solids leading to the formation of stones in the urinary tract passages may obstruct the flow of urine from the kidney. If the blockage is marked enough, the affected kidney may be impaired.

Under each and every one of the abnormal conditions mentioned here, it is apparent that the health of an individual is most certainly at risk. Hence, derangement of kidney function is serious enough as to merit grave concern. Parting with a healthy kidney because of serious financial want is definitely a dangerous proposition in which the concerned individual may end up needing more money to address his deteriorating state of health. [Read the Original Article]