Improved survival among sickle cell kidney transplant recipients in the recent era.
BACKGROUND
Studies from older cohorts of kidney recipients have observed that recipients with sickle cell disease (SCD) have lower patient survival compared with age- and race-matched controls. We examined whether survival has improved among SCD recipients in the current era.


METHODS
Using Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network/United Network for Organ Sharing data, all black/African-American kidney recipients were stratified according to transplant year into an early (1988-99) and recent era (2000-11). Patient and allograft survival among SCD recipients and those with other diagnoses were compared (early era: SCD n = 67, others n = 20 694; recent era: SCD n = 106, others n = 34 428). A secondary-matched cohort analysis compared patient and allograft survival between SCD recipients matched to recipients with other diagnoses based on recipient and donor age, gender and donor type (deceased versus living).


RESULTS
Patient survival at 6 years was lower among SCD recipients in the early era compared with other diagnoses (55.7 versus 78.0%; P < 0.001). Six-year patient survival among sickle cell recipients improved in the recent era (69.8%; P versus early era = 0.04), although still trended toward lower survival compared with other diagnoses (80.0%; P = 0.07). Multivariate Cox proportional hazard models revealed an increased mortality risk with SCD in both eras [early: hazard ratio (HR) = 3.12; 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.15-4.54; recent: HR: 2.03; 95% CI: 1.31-3.16]. Patient survival among matched SCD recipients in the recent era was comparable to diabetic recipients (SCD: 73.1%, diabetes: 74.1%; P = 0.44).


CONCLUSIONS
Patient survival has improved among contemporary sickle cell recipients compared with an earlier cohort and is comparable to a matched cohort of diabetic kidney recipients. Appropriately selected SCD patients may receive kidney transplants with reasonable survival outcome.
Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA. edmundhuang@mednet.ucla.edu
Edmund
E
Huang
Chong
C
Parke
Alireza
A
Mehrnia
Mandana
M
Kamgar
Phuong-Thu
PT
Pham
Gabriel
G
Danovitch
Suphamai
S
Bunnapradist
D000328:Adult; D000755:Anemia, Sickle Cell / Q000150:complications* / Q000401:mortality; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality*; D006085:Graft Survival; D006801:Humans; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality* / Q000601:surgery; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000401:mortality*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D015996:Survival Rate