Friends of dialysis patients are being asked to consider donating a kidney to help ease pressure on swamped hospital facilities.

Bermuda's kidney failure rate is growing at twice the expected average and the King Edward VII's dialysis unit has reached saturation point with 60 patients.

A dozen people are also on the waiting list for a transplant -- with one person waiting five years -- as the number of donors slumps.

Experts from John Hopkins University Hospital, in Baltimore, are now advising Bermuda's doctors on ways to counter the growing problem.

But doctors say one solution is to persuade more friends and distant relatives to consider donating a kidney to one of the dialysis patients.

Dr. Beresford M. Swan, King Edward's director of dialysis, said: "The current facility can cope reasonably well with 60 patients.

"The unit reached 60 patients in May and this has led to a need to re-examine our situation.

"Bermuda has an inordinately high incidence of kidney failure, largely due to the ravages of hypertension and diabetes.'' He added: "The current facility celebrated its tenth anniversary one year ago and it was hoped it would serve our needs until the next century. The current saturation point came quicker than expected.'' Dr. Swan said there were three reasons for the situation -- dialysis patients are living longer, a transplant rate of up to 20 percent of the patients affected has slumped and instead of seeing four to six new patients a year between ten and 12 are being diagnosed.

Bermuda is thought to suffer from one of the worst diabetes rates in the western world.

The Bermuda Diabetic Association has carried out a survey in Bermuda to discover the number of diabetics on the Island and it is hoped that through screening people can be treated before their kidneys fail.

To cope with demand three solutions are being studies -- a home treatment programme, examining ways of expanding the dialysis unit and increasing the transplant rate through increased donors.

Normally donors are related, but Dr. Swan said he hoped friends or distant relatives of patients would volunteer to donate a kidney.

"The options with living related donors are often limited so we are discussing the issue of expanding the use of living unrelated donors, such as husbands and wives or friends,'' added Dr. Swan.

He said the team from the US, including Dr. Paul Scheel and Dr. Warren Maley, was advising the hospital on the various options and had already spoken to some spouses about the possibility of donating a kidney.

Not only does a transplant dramatically increase a person's life expectancy an operation is significantly cheaper than yearly dialysis which can cost up to $90,000 per patient.

"With each patient we need to look at their friends and extended family to see if they can donate,'' said Dr. Swan.

"If we can get people to think in terms of `my friend needs a kidney' we should be able to help these patients.'' VISITING EXPERT -- Dr. Paul Sheel, left, visiting Bermuda from John Hopkins University Hospital with Dr. Beresford M. Swan, the Island's director of dialysis.

HOSPITAL HOS