Attitudes Toward Kidney Xenotransplantation Among Turkish Healthcare Providers, Dialysis Patients, and Transplant Recipients.

BACKGROUND

Xenotransplantation-the transplantation of living cells, tissues, or organs from animals to humans-has the potential to help overcome the global shortage of human donor organs. However, its success depends on public and professional acceptance, which may vary across cultural and religious contexts. This study evaluated the attitudes of key stakeholders in Turkey, including healthcare providers, kidney transplant recipients, and dialysis patients, toward kidney xenotransplantation.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Turkey among 405 participants: 197 healthcare providers, 114 kidney transplant recipients (KTRs), and 94 dialysis patients. Attitudes toward kidney xenotransplantation were assessed using a 32-item questionnaire. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify predictors of acceptance.

RESULTS

Overall acceptance was highest when xenotransplantation outcomes were equivalent to human transplants, and substantially lower when outcomes were inferior. Religious appropriateness was the strongest independent predictor of acceptance in both scenarios. For equal outcomes, additional predictors included higher education, lower perceived risk, and male gender. For inferior outcomes, greater acceptance was associated with male gender and being a dialysis patient. Awareness of xenotransplantation remained limited, but over 65% expressed interest in learning more. While concerns about immunologic rejection and infection were common, fear of social stigma was relatively low.

CONCLUSIONS

In this predominantly Muslim population, kidney xenotransplantation acceptance is shaped by religious beliefs, gender, education level, risk perception, and patient status. Culturally sensitive communication and targeted education-especially addressing religious and safety concerns-may be essential for promoting informed acceptance of xenotransplantation.