Introduction:

The shortage of deceased donor kidneys for transplantation has forced the re-evaluation of the limits on donor age acceptability. Thus, marginal donors such as elderly donors have been progressively increasing in recent years for organ transplantation around the world. Aim: In this study, it was aimed to contribute to the elimination of question marks about the using elderly donors for kidney transplantation.

Methods:

In this retrospective cohort study, prospectively recorded data of patients who underwent kidney transplantation between January 1996 and January 2020 were evaluated. The inclusion criteria for the study were deceased or living donor, donor aged 55 years and older.

Results:

Of the total 392 kidney transplantation, 64 donors met the study criteria. The mean age of the donors was 59 ± 3.86 years (range, 55-69). Twenty-one (87.5%) out of 24 deceased donors and 1 (2.5%) living related recipients presented DGF. There was no mortality in the living donors. Overall, 1, 5, 10 years of recipient and graft survivals for this study 91%, 88%, 81% and 84%, 82%, 75%, respectively. Same rates for living donor 96%, 96%, 96% and 90%, 88%, 80%, respectively, and for deceased donor 81%, 74%, 70% and 78%, 74%, 67%, respectively.

Conclusion:

Transplantation from the donors with age 55 and up, might be related to decreased kidney function and graft survival, compared to the transplantations from the standard donors. However, when the long-term graft survival and patient survival is observed, the group of elderly donors cannot be subject to exclusion.

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