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Should the upper age limit for cadaveric kidney donors be changed?
Proceedings of the European Dialysis and Transplant Association. European Dialysis and Transplant Association
|January 1, 1981
Summary
Increasing the upper age limit for kidney donors over 50 can significantly boost organ availability. This study shows older donors provide viable kidneys for transplantation with satisfactory graft function.
Area of Science:
- Nephrology
- Transplantation Surgery
- Geriatric Medicine
Background:
- Persistent shortage of donor organs for transplantation.
- Current arbitrary upper age limit for cadaveric kidney donors is 50 years.
- Need to evaluate the utility of older donor organs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if the upper age limit for cadaveric kidney donors can be safely increased.
- To assess the outcomes of kidney transplantation using donors over 50 years of age.
- To evaluate the impact of donor age on graft survival and function.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective study of 5546 cadaveric kidney transplantations over ten years in the Eurotransplant region.
- Analysis of 149 transplantations using kidneys from donors aged over 50 years.
- Comparison of early graft loss, cumulative graft survival, and graft function (creatinine clearance).
Main Results:
- Kidneys from donors over 50 years of age are a valuable source for transplantation.
- An increased early graft loss was observed in the older donor group.
- Cumulative graft survival showed no negative influence of increasing donor age.
- Graft function, measured by creatinine clearance, was satisfactory.
Conclusions:
- Donors over 50 years of age can be effectively utilized for kidney transplantation.
- Increasing the upper age limit for cadaveric kidney donors to 60 years is justified.
- This change could considerably increase the pool of potential organ donors.