Medical Suitability and Willingness for Living Kidney Donation Among Older Adults

Rationale & objective: The benefits of kidney transplantation compared to treatment with dialysis, including in older adult, are primarily limited by the number of donated kidneys. We studied the potential to expand the use of older living kidney donors.

Study design: Secondary analysis of the Berlin Initiative Study, a population-based cohort.

Setting: & Participants: 2069 adults aged ≥70 years in Germany.

Exposures: Age and sex.

Outcomes: Suitability for living donation assessed by the absence of kidney-related exclusions for donation including albuminuria and low estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) as well as absence of other medical exclusions. Willingness for living and deceased kidney donation assessed by participant survey.

Analytical approach: Descriptive analysis.

Results: Among the 2069 participants (median age 80 years, 53% women, median eGFR 63 ml/min/1.73m²), 93% had ≥1 medical contraindication for living donation at study entry unrelated to eGFR or albuminuria. Using two published eGFR and albuminuria thresholds for donor acceptance, 38% to 54% of participants had kidney-related exclusions for donation. Among the 5% to 6% of participants with neither medical nor kidney-related exclusions for living donation at baseline, 11% to 12% remained suitable for donation during 8 years of follow-up. Willingness for living or deceased donation was high (73% and 60%, respectively).

Limitations: GFR was not measured and medical exclusions unrelated to eGFR and albuminuria were assessed using a cohort database complemented by claims data.

Conclusions: One in twenty older adults were potentially suitable for living kidney donation and willingness for living donation was high. Further studies are warranted to define the feasibility of expanding living kidney donation among older adults.