A major study of kidney donations provides the strongest evidence yet that organ donors live just as long as people who go through life with two kidneys…

Perhaps 10% to 20% of candidate donors withdraw for non-medical reasons, estimates Raymond Heilman, a Mayo Clinic nephrologist. The true rate is difficult to determine, as transplant centers closely guard potential donors' privacy. Many transplant centers offer a "medical out," citing a nonexistent condition like high blood pressure, to shield dropouts from familial pressure to donate.

Wall Street Journal, by Jeremy Singer-Vine, 3/22/2010

Tags: Dr. Raymond Heilman, Mayo Clinic Arizona, organ donors, Transplant