December 12, 2023
1 minute read
Important points:
- Overall, 47 donors in the study developed persistently low eGFR or moderate to severe albuminuria.
- The median time to results beyond 1 year after nephrectomy was 2.9 years.
A proportion of kidney donors may develop low eGFR or albuminuria after donation, according to a recently published retrospective population-based cohort study.
“Although donor nephrectomy is considered relatively safe, there are potential short-term and long-term risks to the donor.” Dr. Aneesha Dhara, Professors from the Department of Nephrology at the University of Calgary in Canada and colleagues wrote. “We have identified the incidence and risk factors associated with the development of low eGFR and moderate-to-severe albuminuria.”
Researchers identified 590 adult living kidney donors who underwent donor nephrectomy in Alberta, Canada, between 2001 and 2017 and matched study inclusion criteria. Primary outcomes included two eGFR measurements less than 45 mL/min/1.73 m.2 or two occurrences of moderate or severe albuminuria at least 90 days apart after 1 year after donation.
Results showed that 47 donors developed persistently low eGFR or moderate-to-severe albuminuria during a median follow-up of 8.6 years, with an incidence of 9.2 per 1,000 person-years. Results showed that the median time to results after 1 year after nephrectomy was 2.9 years.
Dhalla et al. noted that the donor had a low predonation eGFR of 5 mL/min/1.73 m.2 Those with lower levels had a 26% increased risk of developing low eGFR or moderate-to-severe albuminuria after donation within the first 4 years of follow-up. Pre-donation hypertension and post-donation diabetes also amplify the risk of developing low eGFR or albuminuria.
The authors noted a lack of data on specific donor characteristics that may influence long-term kidney function, such as race, smoking, and transplant history.
“Further studies are needed to determine whether donors with these risk factors benefit from more intensive follow-up care and the impact of low eGFR and moderate-to-severe albuminuria on donor morbidity. “Research is needed,” Dhalla et al. write.
