Nephrology. 2007; published online ahead of print
Older age and hypertension increase the risk of renal impairment among live kidney donors, according to South Korean researchers.
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Soon Bae Kim, MD, and colleagues at the University of Ulsan College of Medicine in Seoul studied 104 individuals who underwent open donor nephrectomy who had follow-up records for 50 months or more. At the final follow-up, 26 patients had a glomerular filtration rate (GFR) less than 60 mL/min per 1.73 m2 (CKD-GFR group) and 78 had normal renal function. GFR was calculated using the abbreviated Modification of Diet in Renal Disease equation.
At baseline, the CKD-GFR group was significantly older than the normal group (47 vs. 41
years), and hypertension (BP above 140/90 mm Hg) was significantly more common in the CKD-GFR group (15% vs. 2%). In the CKD-GFR group, 31% and 15% had hypertension and proteinuria, respectively, at final follow-up, compared with only 8% and 0% of the normal group. The average age at final follow-up was 55 years in the CKD-GFR group versus 49 years in the normal group.
At baseline, age and hypertension were independent risk factors for a GFR below 60 mL/min per 1.73 m2 at final follow-up. Each one-year increment in age was associated with a 6% increase in the risk; hypertension increased the risk nearly eightfold.
The researchers concluded that older kidney donors and those with hypertension “need to be more carefully evaluated in pre-donation and be followed more regularly.”