Soaring obesity levels are contributing to a decline in organ transplants because people’s organs are unusable.
The proportion of clinically obese donors has increased from 24 per cent to 29 per cent in deceased donors in the last 10 years, figures show.
For every 10 donors, there was one fewer transplantable organ last year than the previous year for a variety of reasons.
In total, 849 organs – more than one in six of those retrieved – were rejected, almost double the 460 from 10 years ago.
Almost one in three adults in the UK are obese, as well as one in five children aged 10 to 11 years old.
Even if a person is eligible to donate and their family also approves, the final decision comes down to doctors who assess the health of an organ.
Soaring obesity levels are contributing to a decline in organ transplants because the organs are unusable, a report said (stock image)
During 2018-2019, 408 patients died while on the transplant waiting list or within one year of being removed from it, according to NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT).
The overall number of transplants fell by two per cent last year, from 5,104 to 4,990,
Currently more than 6,000 people are still waiting for a transplant.
There were 87 fewer organ transplants taking place last year compared to the previous year – 3,951 in 2018/19 compared to 4,038 in 2017/18.
Fewer organs are being approved for use for complex reasons, an NHSBT report said, including donors being more obese, reflecting the worsening obesity levels in Britain, medical problems and an ageing population.
The total number of patients whose lives were potentially saved by organ transplants fell by two per cent to 4,990, while more people were added to the waiting list.
There was no change in the number of kidney transplants, but pancreas, liver, heart, lung and heart-lung transplants all fell. Every person is able to donate nine organs in theory.
A spokesperson for NHS Blood and Transplant said: ‘There are multiple factors which could have led to the drop in transplants this year, and we are working hard to fully understand these.
‘It is true that in recent years, we have seen an increase in older donors and more donors who are overweight or obese.
‘However we have also seen a reduction in the proportion of donors who have died from traumatic injuries and other changes which could also play a part.
‘We assess every donor individually, in order to confirm that their organs are healthy and suitable for transplant. The most important thing is for people to register their decision and tell their families what they want, and that way we can ensure that more lives can be saved.’
There have been improvements, however, with the number or people who donate after death slowly rising, hitting a record high of 1,600 people in the year to March 2019.
The NHBT said this is because hard work to raise awareness has led to more families are agreeing to support their loved ones’ wishes to donate, which they are entitled to overrule.
This is despite fewer people being eligible to donate, meaning they died in intensive care or similar circumstances.
Year | Retrieved | Not transplanted | Percentage |
---|---|---|---|
2009/2010 | 3,378 | 460 | 13.60% |
2010/2011 | 3,513 | 501 | 14.30% |
2011/2012 | 3,747 | 465 | 12.40% |
2012/2013 | 4,112 | 632 | 15.40% |
2013/2014 | 4,536 | 567 | 12.50% |
2014/2015 | 4,360 | 624 | 14.30% |
2015/2016 | 4,656 | 724 | 15.50% |
2016/2017 | 4,728 | 703 | 14.90% |
2017/2018 | 5,260 | 787 | 15% |
2018/2019 | 5,147 | 849 | 16.50% |
Over the last 10 years there has been a 67 per cent increase in deceased organ donors and a 49 per cent increase in deceased donor transplants.
The number of living donors also dropped by three per cent, to 1,039, a downward trend that has continued over the last six years.
Authors of the annual Organ Donation and Transplantation Activity Report said the overall story was one of success.
But they also warned that it will be ‘increasingly challenging’ to maintain annual increases in donor numbers.
Health officials are issuing a plea to the public to talk with families about organ donation in order to save lives.
Regardless of a law change to an opt-out system in 2020, families still have the final say.
Anthony Clarkson, director of Organ Donation and Transplantation at NHSBT, said: ‘The reduction in the number of people dying in circumstances where they are able to donate, means that we need to continue to explore ways to improve the donation and transplant process.
‘We are utilising new techniques and technologies to ensure that donated organs are in the very best possible condition for transplant and are working to increase awareness and understanding of organ donation and the law change across society with the aim that no opportunity for donation is missed.’
From spring 2020, all adults in England and Scotland will be considered to have agreed to be an organ donor when they die, unless they have recorded a decision to ‘opt out’ to reduce the number of people who die waiting on the donor list.
Some groups are excluded from the opt-out system. The situation will not change for those under the age of 18, in which case the family are asked to make the decision.
It follows the example of Wales in December 2015. Wales now has the highest consent rate in the UK – 77 per cent, up from 58 per cent in 2015.
Experts hope that once the law change comes into force and public awareness increases, similar increases will be seen in England and Scotland.