Lesions in donor kidneys: nature, incidence, and influence on graft function

The aim of this study was to assess the influence of kidney-donor transmitted pathology on graft function. Light and immunofluorescent microscopic findings from a surgical biopsy taken prior to transplantation from 114 cadaveric kidney donors were analyzed. Moderate to severe mesangial IgA deposits were considered consistent with IgA nephropathy. Pathological abnormalities were correlated together with donor age, number of mismatches, and type of immunosuppression by multivariate statistical analysis with the serum creatinine values from patients who experienced no acute rejection at 1 year. Serum creatinine values (n = 52) were not correlated with either non-specific light microscopic lesions or immunofluorescent deposits found in the majority of kidney donors or with changes consistent with IgA nephropathy observed in 9% of the cases. There was, however, a correlation with donor age, which was also correlated with the extent of chronic lesions (P < 0.001).