title: Age is an important predictor of kidney transplantation outcome.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Donor and recipient age may have an impact on the renal transplant outcome. Kidney transplantation from older donors may result in a worse outcome, and the survival benefit of kidney transplantation compared with dialysis may be reduced. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of donor and recipient age on kidney transplant outcome.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two hundred and twenty-three recipients of kidney transplants performed at our institution between 2002 and 2007 were analysed. The role of donor and recipient age matching on survival rate were investigated performing the Kaplan-Meier survival time analysis by decades, considering the donor's age of 60 and 70 years. The Cox proportional hazard uni- and multivariate regressions were also performed. Finally, Kaplan-Meier survival time analysis was performed to assess survival rates of patients transplanted stratified by donor age compared with wait-listed renal transplant candidates.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Elderly recipients had a significant lower graft and patient survival as well as a significantly higher risk of graft loss and patient death. Recipients younger and older than 65 years of age were at higher risk of graft loss if they received grafts from donors>65 years [hazard ratio (HR)=2.59, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.12-6 and HR=5.65, 95% CI: 2.31-13.79, respectively]. Elderly recipients displayed a worse survival compared with transplant candidates on the waiting list.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Age is an important predictor of kidney transplantation outcome. Kidney transplantation does not offer a significant survival benefit in the intermediate term, compared to the waiting list, to elderly recipients transplanted with grafts from older donors. However, it cannot be excluded that it is still possible that there is a long-term benefit of transplantation over dialysis in this group of patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Transplantation and Advanced Technologies, Vascular Surgery and Organ Transplant Unit, University Hospital of Catania, Catania, Italy. veroux@unict.it
authors.forename: Massimiliano
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Veroux
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Grosso
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Corona
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mistretta
authors.forename: Alessia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Giaquinta
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Giuffrida
authors.forename: Nunzia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sinagra
authors.forename: Pierfrancesco
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Veroux
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D006085:Graft Survival; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000601:surgery*; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000401:mortality*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D015996:Survival Rate; D014019:Tissue Donors; D014850:Waiting Lists; D055815:Young Adult