Kidney transplantation epidemiology in Brazil

In 2015, were celebrated in Brazil 50 years of kidney transplants, whose activities have been registered since 1995 by the Brazilian Association of Organ Transplantation (ABTO).

To evaluate the quantitative evolution of renal transplants that occurred in Brazil during the period from 1995 to 2015 and to classify the country's position in the international scenario.

Ecological and retrospective study, based on data records published by ABTO and the International Registry in Organ Donation and Transplantation (IRODaT).

During the period evaluated, there were 75,479 kidney transplants in Brazil, 43,771 (58%) of deceased donors. The southeastern region had the highest absolute number (n=44,746; 59.3%) and, the north, the lowest (n=1159; 1.6%). The cumulative percentage variation of transplants was 121%, and the annual variation was negative on six occasions (1996, 1997, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2015). The number of effective transplantation teams had a weak relation with the number of procedures performed (r=0.45, p: 0.03). Brazil was the second country with the highest absolute number of transplants in the period of analysis, considering a world ranking with 30 nations.

The number of renal transplants in Brazil increased significantly over the years. However, the efforts of those involved in the different phases of the donation-transplant process should be continuous.