The Long-Term Outcome of Kidney Transplant Recipients in the Eighth Decade Compared With Recipients in the Seventh Decade of Life.

Background: With the aging of the population, more older patients are being considered for kidney transplantation; therefore, it is crucial to evaluate the risks and benefits of transplantation in this population. This study aimed to assess long-term outcomes of kidney transplantation in a cohort of patients who underwent kidney transplantation at age >70 years, compared with patients aged 60 to 69 years at transplantation.

Methods: Included in the study were 261 consecutive kidney transplant recipients: 52 were aged >70 years, and 209 were aged 60 to 69 years at transplantation. Data were collected retrospectively and analyzed using multivariate logistic regression to identify potential outcome risk factors.

Results: The number of transplants in both groups increased during the study period. Mortality after transplantation was strongly correlated to age (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.11; 95% CI, 1.05-1.18; P < .001), deceased donor (HR = 2.0; 95% CI, 1.1-3.8; P = .034), and pretransplant diabetes (HR = 2.9; 95% CI, 1.7-4.9; P = .001). Recipients aged >70 years had an increased risk of death censored graft failure (HR = 2.98; 95% CI, 1.56-5.74; P = .001). In living donor transplants, 3-year survival was 80% in recipients age >70 years, compared with 98% in the 60- to 69-year group. Five-year survival was 71% and 92%, respectively. In deceased donor transplants, 3-year survival was 63% and 78%, and 5-year survival was 58% and 72%, respectively. The risk of malignancy (excluding nonmelanotic skin cancer) was nearly triple in the age >70 years group (HR = 2.96; 95% CI, 1.3-6.8; P = .01).

Conclusions: Patient and graft survival in kidney recipients in the eighth decade is worse compared with recipients in the seventh decade of life. However, it is improved with living kidney donation.