Kidney transplantation in the elderly: age-matching as compared to HLA-matching: a single center experience.
BACKGROUND
We report the short-term outcome of our patients participating within the Eurotransplant age-matching program, where kidneys from donors >65 years are transplanted to recipients >65 years regardless of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) compatibility but with short cold ischemia times, in comparison with patients >60 years transplanted with HLA-matching.


METHODS
Twenty-five patients (66.7+/-2.6 years) (donors 69+/-4.3 years) participated in this program (group A). The control group consisted of 21 patients (63+/-2.6 years) (group B) (donors 47.6+/-17.3 years).


RESULTS
Despite significant differences in donor age, cold ischemia time (12.3+/-4.6 hr in A, 22.8+/-4.8 hr in B, P<0.001) and a mean of 4.4+/-1.4 vs. 2.3+/-1.6 HLA-mismatches (P<0.001), there was no difference regarding the incidence of delayed graft function (64 vs. 57%), rejections (52 vs. 66.7%), infections (56 vs. 52.4%), and other complications (80 vs. 71.4%). Mean serum creatinine after 6 months was 1.94+/-0.49 and 1.83+/-0.67 mg/dl (NS).


CONCLUSIONS
The short-term results of the age-matching program are promising and comparable with results from patients of similar age with HLA-matching.
Voiculescu
Adina
A
Department of Nephrology and Rheumatology, Heinrich-Heine-University, Düsseldorf, Germany.
Schlieper
Georg
G
Hetzel
Gerd-Rüdiger
GR
Hollenbeck
Markus
M
Ivens
Katrin
K
Willers
Reinhard
R
Sandmann
Wilhelm
W
Grabensee
Bernd
B
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D003404:Creatinine / Q000097:blood; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000453:epidemiology; D006650:Histocompatibility Testing; D006801:Humans; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D003404:Creatinine