[Survival of the renal transplant: data from international registries]

In this article the authors examine which factors have the greatest influence on both renal survival and renal function by reviewing the database of the main International Registries. Both patient and renal survival rates have been continuously improving over recent years. In the case of a living donor, graft survival is similar either for related or unrelated donor. Long-lasting hypertension and low donor glomerular filtration rate are relevant factors negatively affecting the outcome. Older recipients have poorer prognosis. Graft loss due to the recurrence of the original disease actually has a higher incidence. Delayed graft function and acute rejection are the major determinants of poor prognosis. In recent studies, one year renal function proved to be the best predictor of poor outcome. Several other factors, such as recipient hypertension, dyslipidemia, smoking and recipient compliance influence graft survival.