Q: My 52 years old mother has been diagnosed with kidney failure. She also has thyroid for the last 10 years. Our nephrologist has advised transplant but the problem is that my blood group is same as my mother's. But my blood test report states that I have thalassaemia minor and the haemoglobin level is 12.7. Please suggest if I can donate my kidney to my mother?

A:Thalassemia minor is not a contraindication for a kidney donor, but by and large child to mother transplants do not do too well. A lot of antibodies, which are not known cross over through the placenta, which causes rejection episodes. In my experience it is not worth doing such a transplant especially when the patient is so young. Always one must choose the best possible donor aiming for a long lasting transplant. What about your mother's brothers and sisters?