For the first time ever US doctors at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, Maryland, have transplanted a kidney from one HIV-positive patient to another.
Both patients are now reported to be doing well.
It was previously thought that HIV carried too great a risk factor for kidney disease in the donor. But new types of anti-retroviral drugs used to treat the disease are seen as safe for the kidney.
Dr Christine Durand, associate professor of medicine and oncology at Johns Hopkins, said that the operation challenges the public to see HIV differently, while also advancing medicine.
Donor Nina Martinez, 35, from Atlanta, said she was inspired to donate her kidney by an episode of TV series “Grey’s Anatomy,” she said, adding that she was excited to be part of a medical first.
The recipient chose to remain anonymous but was doing well.
Via BBC
