| The following article features coverage from the National Kidney Foundation’s 2019 Spring Clinical Meetings. Click here to read more of Renal & Urology News’ conference coverage. |
Most living kidney donors in the United States are either overweight or mildly obese, and their numbers continue to increase, new data presented at the National Kidney Foundation’s 2019 Spring Clinical Meetings in Boston suggest. The number of living kidney donors classified as moderately to morbidly obese is declining.
Nupur Uppal, MD, and colleagues at the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell in Great Neck, New York, identified the trends by analyzing data from 105,913 living kidney donors reported to the Organ Procurement and Transplant Network from 1999 to 2018. Of these patients, 35%, 41%, 19%, and 4% were classified as normal weight (NW), overweight (OW), mildly obese (MO), and moderately to morbidly obese (MMo), respectively.
The investigators divided the study period into 2 decades. Of 51,248 living donors during 1999 to 2008, 36%, 40%, 18%, and 5% were classified as NW, OW, MO, and MMo, respectively. Of 54,665 donors during 2009 to 2018, 34%, 43%, 20%, and 3% were classified as NW, OW, MO, and MMo respectively.
NW, OW, MO, and MMo were defined as a body mass index (in kg/m2) of 18.5 to <25, 25 to <30, 30 to <35, and 35 or higher, respectively.
“Overall, partner/spouse, biologically related donors, and male donors were more likely to be in the OW and obese categories,” Dr Uppal’s team reported in a poster presentation. “African American, Hispanic, and American Indian/Alaska Native females were more likely to be in the obese categories as were Hispanic and American Indian/Alaska Native males when compared to other ethnicity groups.”
Read more of Renal & Urology News’ coverage of NKF’s 2019 Spring Clinical Meetings by visiting the conference page.
Reference
Uppal N, Chang, FB, Sakhiya V, et al. Pre-donation weight trends over the past twenty years in U.S. living kidney donors: Analysis of UNOS database. Presented at the National Kidney Foundation’s 2019 Spring Clinical Meetings held May 8-12 in Boston. Poster 423.
