Background: Kidney transplantation is the best treatment of end-stage renal
disease. The benefits for recipients are obvious. The consequences for the
living kidney donors appear to be not so clear. The objective of this study was to evaluate the quality of life after living kidney donation.
Material/Methods: A total of 66 living donor open nephrectomies were
performed in the Department of General and Transplantation Surgery at the Warsaw Medical University between 1995 and 2005. The quality of life was assessed in 32 donors after the nephrectomy. The study applied The Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) developed by Ed Diener and colleagues
(Diener, Emmons, Larsen and Griffin, 1985) adapted in Poland by Juczynski and the questionnaire formulated by Jakubowska-Winiecka, Bieniasz and Domagala. Donor mean age was 46.3 years (range 31-69). Observation period ranged from 36 to 156 months after donation.
Results: The mean SWLS score in the investigated group was 22.8 (men - 21.5, women - 23.9). Mean life satisfaction in living kidney donors was comparable to the general population in Poland. Neither of the donors regretted their decision about kidney donation. Mean pain score after donation was 3.2 in 5-item scale (1-severe pain, 5-mild pain). Medical care was 4.4 and 4.5 in 5-item scale (1-poor, 5-very good) before and after donation, respectively. Mean time of returning to work was 3.5 months.
Conclusions: Living kidney donation in Poland has no significant impact on the donor's quality of life.

Keywords: Kidney Transplantation, Living Donors