13th Congress of the International Society for Organ Donation and Procurement (ISODP)Organ donation strategiesIncreasing Use of the Expanded Criteria for Living Kidney Donation and Good Outcomes of Living Kidney Donors in Korea

- The use of expanded-criteria living kidney donors has increased.
- Mortality and end-stage renal disease were rare in carefully selected donors.
- More careful follow-up is needed for living kidney donors.

BackgroundDonor shortage for kidney transplantation may increase the number of expanded-criteria living donors (ECLDs). We investigated recent trends for ECLD use and the long-term outcomes of living kidney donors.MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed medical records of 1,144 living kidney donors who donated at the Seoul National University Hospital from 1993 to 2015. The expanded criteria for living donation allow the following: age ≥60 years, body mass index >30 kg/m2, history of hypertension, estimated glomerular filtration rate <80 mL/min, proteinuria or microscopic hematuria, and fasting glucose >100 mg/dL.ResultsThe mean age of donors was 40.7 ± 10.8 years, and there were 600 women (52.4%). A total of 466 donors (40.7%) met the ECLD criteria, and the proportion of ECLDs increased over time. Only 5 donors died after donation over a median follow-up of 7 years. No donor developed end-stage renal disease (ESRD). A urine protein-creatinine ratio ≥0.3 g/gCr was found in 14 patients and was more common in the ECLDs than in the standard-criteria living donors. The follow-up loss rate of donors was 59.3% at 5 years.ConclusionsBoth mortality and ESRD were very rare in carefully selected living kidney donors. However, living donors should be followed more carefully, because the follow-up loss rate was very high and ECLDs are increasingly used.