Successful Kidney Transplant from Donors with Sickle Cell Disease: A Case Series of Six Transplants

Abstract

People with Sickle cell disease experience a high incidence of chronic kidney disease and end stage kidney disease secondary to tubular and glomerular effect of vaso-occlusion-induced hypoxia. Due to concerns of sub-optimal kidney function sickle cell donors are usually not considered for kidney donation even if rest of the parameters are acceptable for organ donation. A significant gap exists between the number of organ donors and number of candidates waiting for a kidney transplant in the United States. In order to bridge the gap, we need to consider using nontraditional donors.We report kidney transplant outcomes in six recipients from four sickle cell kidney donors. Intracranial hemorrhage and sepsis were the causes of the death in donors, no donor was in sickle cell crisis at the time of donation. None of the recipients experienced delayed graft function and all recipients achieved excellent allograft function. The earliest allograft failure was at twenty-seven months in a recipient who developed early acute rejection, while the longest follow-up was ten years with adequate kidney function. In conclusion, given the shortage of kidneys for transplantation and demonstrated good outcomes, we propose that kidneys from sickle-cell donors can be safely used.