Donor-Recipient Age Difference and Graft Survival in Living Donor Kidney Transplantation

Abstract Background In paired living kidney exchange donation from an old donor to a young recipient, it may be argued that elderly donors provide an inferior quality kidney. However, the impact of donors older than recipients on transplant outcomes remains unclear. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the charts of primary living kidney transplantation patients who were divided into two groups based on the age difference between donor and recipient (recipient age subtracted from donor age, donor-recipient Results The mean donor age difference cohorts of P = .08). Patient survival of the age difference ≥ 20 years group showed no difference compared with the age difference P = .4). Conclusion Although the cohort of a donor-young recipient age difference ≥ 20 years showed a greater risk of an acute rejection episode early posttransplantation, it did not affect graft or patient survivals. When considering paired kidney donation, older age donors should not necessarily be limited.