The strategy of diminishing age gap effect on different donor-recipient combinations in living donor kidney transplantation.

Abstract

The disparity between kidney donation and the number of uremic patients on the waiting list has increased the demand for older live-donor kidneys (OLK). However, the donor-recipient age gap may have an impact on the recipient's outcome. Patients who underwent living donor kidney transplantation at our institute between 2005 and 2019 were enrolled and categorized into four donor-recipient groups according to age (≥50 years and <50 years). The Estimated Post-Transplant Survival (EPTS) score was used to quantify the recipient's condition. Adjusted models analyzed recipient outcomes and related risks among the four groups. Of the 154 pairs of live donors and recipients, OLK did not influence overall or death-censored graft survival. The four donor-recipient combinations had similar recipient outcomes, except it slightly worsened in the "old donor to young recipient" group. The EPTS score (adjusted HR, 1.02; 95% CI, 1.01-1.04; p = 0.014) and rejection (adjusted HR, 4.26; 95% CI, 1.36-13.37; p = 0.013) were significant risk factors for overall and death-censored graft survival, respectively. Recipients with pretransplant diabetes or prior solid organ transplantation could have amplified risk effects. The main causes of graft loss were death in older recipients and chronic rejection in younger recipients. OLK is safe for young recipients. Nevertheless, adequate immunosuppression should be maintained to prevent rejection and subsequent graft loss, especially for those receiving second kidney transplantation. In contrast, older recipients should avoid overt immunosuppression and control their comorbidities, such as diabetes-related complications to improve their long-term outcomes.