Live Kidney Donation Not Associated with Increased Long-Term Mortality in Donors

"Making a live kidney donation does not decrease the donor's long-term survival, according to a large U.S. cohort study in JAMA."

"Researchers examined outcomes among some 80,000 live kidney donors. Surgical mortality within 90 days of donating was 3.1 per 10,000 donors. Surgical mortality was higher among men (5.1), blacks (7.6), and patients with hypertension (36.7). (By comparison, reported surgical mortality after laparoscopic cholecystectomy is 18 per 10,000 patients.)
The researchers also compared longer-term mortality between the donors and a group of some 9000 controls healthy enough to make such a donation. After a median follow-up of 6 years, there was no difference between the groups.
The authors conclude that although potential donors in some higher-risk groups should be cautioned, the current practices surrounding live kidney donation should be considered 'reasonable and safe'."

JAMA article
http://jama.ama-assn.org

Kidney Donation Doesn't Complicate Later Health

"Kidney donors' long-term health is, on the whole, similar to that of the general population, a New England Journal of Medicine study concludes.

Researchers followed up on some 3700 kidney donors whose nephrectomies were done at the University Minnesota between 1963 and 2007. The donors' mortality rates matched those of the general population, and their rate of end-stage renal disease was lower.

An editorial points out the dangers of extrapolating the results from this nearly all-white sample to other ethnic groups. It concludes that the results 'could encourage the expansion of the donor pool.'"

http://firstwatch.jwatch.org