[Kidney transplantation in pediatric age.]

Kidney transplantation (KT) is the best treatment for children in end-stage renal disease. KT has less mortality than dialysis and provides a better quality of life. Thus, the inclusion criteria have been progressively broadened. Histocompatibility and the source of donation are the most relevant factors that influence graft survival. Graft and patient survival have improved dramatically in recent decades, coming close to the results of KT in adults. Some of the specific factors that differentiate it from the adult are: donor-recipient size mismatch,the impact on growth and therapeutic non-compliance. Overall graft survival at 5-years is 90% for living donor KT and 70% for cadaveric donor KT.The most frequent cause of graft loss is chronic rejection.Mortality in the first post-transplant years is less than 6.5%. Infections and cardiovascular complications are the main causes of transplant-related death.Despite the good results, it is imperative to continue investigating how to achieve immunological tolerance. In order to improve the long-term results of the kidney graftis necessary to reduce immunosuppressive treatment and its side effects, such as chronic rejection.