Results in Kidney Transplant Recipients from Living Donors 75 Years of Age or Older

Abstract

The increasing age of patients receiving renal replacement therapy (RRT) in Turkey, coupled with a shortage of kidney donors, has led to longer waiting times for transplants and an escalation in mortality rates. This retrospective study aims to assess the effect of accepting kidneys from elderly donors (≥70 years) on transplant outcomes, given the rising number of elderly patients in the population. A total of 1400 patients were transplanted with kidneys from donors over 50 years old, with patient and graft survival as primary endpoints. Our results demonstrated that the most significant risk factors for graft function were recipient age >65 years, male gender, and presence of type 2 diabetes. Moreover, kidneys from donors aged 75 and overachieved a half-life of 5 years. These findings suggest that donor age does not necessarily correlate with graft failure and that transplantation from elderly donors could help alleviate the organ shortage. Further research is needed to substantiate these conclusions.