As the Secretary General of the Foundation, the President of the Kidney Association, and a dialysis patient myself, I often have to answer this question in front of 30,000 kidney patients and their families in Taiwan. In fact, “kidney transplant” and “dialysis” have their own advantages and disadvantages, so it is impossible to say which one is better. I often receive phone calls from initial dialysis patients, nine out of ten of them want to go for “kidney transplant” right away because they think that “kidney transplant” will be the only way to live once and for all. In fact, there are currently 30,000 people in Taiwan (September 30, 2000, according to the Council) who are undergoing regular dialysis, and there are about 100 kidney transplants in Taiwan every year, and about 100 cases of kidney transplants from abroad. I remember that 5 years ago, I asked Dr. Cheng Kwong-wing of our association to do statistics on the survival rate of patients on regular dialysis at the dialysis center he presided over, and the figures were as follows: the survival rate of “people” within 45 years of age in the fifth year was 96% (N=93), that is, 100 people under 45 years of age on dialysis were still alive in the fifth year, and their hospitalization rate (related to social rehabilitation) was 96% per person per year. Therefore, as long as the quality of dialysis is good (adequate dialysis is an important factor), the dialysis patients in Taiwan can not only work, but also, to exaggerate, almost live a peaceful life (unless they have cardiovascular problems or diabetes). But dialysis also has its disadvantages: 1. every two or three days must go to the hospital to lance two needles, but also to lie down for five hours (but also can use this time to watch TV or books and magazines, etc.) 2. must be a long time to play erythropoietin 3. dialysis to 17, eight years after the fear of molecular deposition and other problems. The advantages of “kidney transplant” are: 1. do not have to lie in the hospital every two to three days for five hours, more freedom of movement 2. The only disadvantage is that in order to keep the kidney in your body, you must take “anti-rejection drugs” daily to keep your “new kidney” from being rejected, and as long as the “new kidney” exists, you must take the drugs for one day. The “anti-rejection drug” is a double-sided knife, the good side is that it can keep the new kidney, but relatively taking it will also suppress your immune system (white blood cells are suppressed, so when you encounter foreign germs attack, the number of white blood cells will not rise immediately like normal people to resist foreign germs), so after kidney replacement, you should always pay attention to the problem of infection (taking anti-rejection drugs will make your body more resistant to infection). Therefore, after kidney transplant, you should always pay attention to the problem of infection (taking anti-repellent drugs will lower your body’s resistance). Therefore, after kidney transplant, your doctor will also tell you to avoid going to confined spaces (especially during the period of flu), such as airplane seats, movie theaters, confined offices, public baths, swimming pools, etc. and avoid unclean environments. And every one or two months, you must go back to the hospital to take blood tests so that the doctor can control the amount of your “anti-rejection drugs”, such as fever or cold must immediately return to the hospital to take blood tests, so if necessary, do not go too far abroad (such as fever or cold symptoms, you can immediately return to the doctor), so After “kidney transplant”, you should be more careful to protect your “new kidney”, and you can’t live as casually as when you had “dialysis”. There are five practicing Western medical doctors in northern Taiwan who have been on dialysis for many years, but they are not in a hurry to get a kidney transplant, is there also a consideration of infection in the working environment (facing patients every day)? In addition, anti-rejection drugs also have toxicity to the liver (and kidney toxicity). All of these disadvantages will be clearly told to you by the doctor during the kidney transplant in Taiwan. Kidney patients often see kidney patients who have had a kidney transplant standing in front of your eyes saying how good and good the “kidney transplant” is, saying very envious, then it is not necessary, because those who died you will never see, of course, can not speak (they must be in heaven: not good), the living group of course must say that the kidney transplant is good, and kidney transplant The survival rate of “people” in the fifth year and the annual hospitalization rate (infection) are also very important data. Unfortunately, the transplant community on both sides of the Taiwan Strait has not yet given me the survival rate for the fifth year. Is “dialysis” or “kidney transplant” better? We can only do a fair report here. It’s up to the kidney patient to decide or ask your doctor and transplant surgeon to evaluate for you. There are too few kidney sources in Taiwan. However, the quality of dialysis is good, so fewer people rush to get a new kidney. In other countries in Southeast Asia, there are no dialysis benefits and the cost of dialysis is too high to afford dialysis, so it is understandable that kidney patients are eager to go abroad for a kidney transplant.