Living versus cadaveric-donor renal transplant recipients: a comparison on sexual function

Erectile dysfunction is experienced by 50% of men with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and uremia. The origin of this dysfunction is multifactorial. The aim of this study was to compare living donor versus cadaveric donor transplant recipients regarding male sexual function. Seventy-seven sexually active male kidney transplant recipients (44 from living donors; 33 from cadaveric donors) were randomly selected from our single-center prospective database of 2016 renal transplants. Epidemiological and clinical data were collected between June 2010 and June 2011. Male sexual function was evaluated with the International Index of Erectile Function questionnaire (IIEF-15). We assessed the prevalence of male sexual dysfunction according to established cutoff points for each of the IIEF-15 domains. Mann-Whitney and Pearson's chi- square statistical tests were used to compare continuous and categorical variables, respectively. The median age at the time of completion of the questionnaires was 43 and 51 years (P = .003) with median times from transplantation was of 36 and 42 months for living donor and cadaveric donor recipients, respectively (P = .31). Median durations of ESRD before surgery were 17.5 and 57 months for living donor and cadaveric donor recipients, respectively (P < .001). Living donor and cadaveric donor recipients had median creatinine clearance values of 55 and 57 mL/min, respectively (P = .44). Median time after renal transplantation for first sexual intercourse was 1 and 2 months for living donor and cadaveric donor recipients, respectively (P = .35). Median body mass indices for living donor and cadaveric donor recipients were 24.8 and 24, respectively (P = .31). Regarding sexual function domains, there were significant differences only for intercourse satisfaction. In our cohort, living donor recipients tended to be younger, have shorter time of ESRD, and less incidence of hypertension or diabetes mellitus but with greater tobacco use. In conclusion, living donor transplantation exerted a favorable impact on sexual function.