Donating kidney is a risky decision, but a new study has revealed that the risk of kidney failure of the donors is very low, Fox News reports.

In a new study published in the February 12 issue of Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers analyzed 96,217 kidney donors to determine their chances of developing end-stage renal disease (ESRD) compared to the general population.  Each year in the United States, approximately 6,000 adults donate a kidney to help a loved one – or even a stranger – in need.

The research team found that live donors ultimately had a lower lifetime ESRD risk than the general population. 

Based on this study’s findings, the authors argue that individuals should not be deterred from donating a kidney over fears of infection, as failure rate is “extremely low.”

"Compared with a matched cohort of healthy non-donors, kidney donors had an increased risk of ESRD; however, the magnitude of the absolute risk increase was small.