Evaluation of renal function in a specific population of living kidney donors.

Background: The increase in candidates for kidney transplant has led to growth in the number of living donor transplants. Therefore, studies that adequately evaluate the possible long-term consequences of elective transplant nephrectomy are needed.

Objective: To evaluate the possible long-term adverse effects of transplant nephrectomy on the renal function of living kidney donors.

Design: A cross-sectional study.

Participants: Thirty-three living kidney donors registered in the transplant programme of a centre in Alagoas, Brazil.

Measurements: Demographic characteristics, anthropometric measures, clinical data and biomarkers (creatinine, eGFR, microalbuminuria, cholesterol and triglycerides) were measured. Creatinine clearance was calculated using the Cockcroft-Gault and Modification of Diet in Renal Disease formulae.

Results: Of the 33 individuals, 63.63% were female, and the median age was 45 years. Additionally, 24.24% of these individuals had altered blood pressure, 39.39% had altered abdominal circumference (AC) and 36.36% were obese, with a body mass index ≥30. Furthermore, 33.33% of these individuals had elevated triglyceride levels. The average eGFR was 97.33 (33.03-175.9) ml/min/1.73 m (CG) and 84.14 (29.4-131) ml/min/1.73 m (MDRD). The microalbuminuria level was altered in 12.12% patients.

Conclusion: Kidney donation is unquestionably a safe procedure. However, a better understanding of the long-term consequences of living donor kidney transplantation is still needed. This knowledge may have important implications for the follow-up of these patients. Our study has demonstrated a non-negligible presence of an early marker of glomerular injury and a decrease in the GFR of some patients, thereby reinforcing the proposal for long-term follow-up of living kidney donors.