Factors potentially affecting the function of kidney grafts

Background Donor and recipient risk factors on graft function have been well characterized. The contribution of demographic factors, such as age, gender, and other potential factors of donor and recipient at the time of transplantation on the function of a graft is much less well understood. In this study, we analyzed the effects of factors such as age, gender, etc., on the short-term and long-term graft function in kidney transplant recipients from living donor. Methods A total of 335 living donors and their recipients, who had kidney transplantation in our center from May 2004 to December 2009, were included. Serum creatinine level was used as the assessment criterion （serum creatinine level lower than 115 mmol/L is normal）. Factors related to graft function such as age, gender, blood relation by consanguinity, human leukocyte antigen （HLA） mismatch, ABO type, etc., were analyzed separately. Results Donor age is the key factor affecting both the short-term and long-term function of a grafted kidney from a living donor. The group with donors younger than 48 years showed the best kidney function post transplantation. Match of gender and age is another important factor that influences the function of grafted kidney from a living donor. The older donor to younger recipient group had the worst outcome after kidney transplantation. After 36 months post transplantation, female donor to male recipient group had worse kidney function compared to other groups. We also found that calcinerin inhibitor used in the maintenance period may influence the function of a grafted kidney. No significant statistical differences were found in consanguinity, blood type, and mismatch of HLA. Conclusions Donor age is an important factor affecting the function of a grafted kidney from a living donor. We also recommend taking nephron, immunology factor, infection, and demographic information all into consideration when assessing the outcome of kidney transplantation.