Kidney transplantation epidemiology in Brazil.

Background: In 2015, were celebrated in Brazil 50 years of kidney transplants, whose activities have been registered since 1995 by the Brazilian Association of Organ Transplantation (ABTO).

Purpose: To evaluate the quantitative evolution of renal transplants that occurred in Brazil during the period from 1995 to 2015 and to classify the country's position in the international scenario.

Methods: Ecological and retrospective study, based on data records published by ABTO and the International Registry in Organ Donation and Transplantation (IRODaT).

Results: During the period evaluated, there were 75,479 kidney transplants in Brazil, 43,771 (58%) of deceased donors. The southeastern region had the highest absolute number (n=44,746; 59.3%) and, the north, the lowest (n=1159; 1.6%). The cumulative percentage variation of transplants was 121%, and the annual variation was negative on six occasions (1996, 1997, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2015). The number of effective transplantation teams had a weak relation with the number of procedures performed (r=0.45, p: 0.03). Brazil was the second country with the highest absolute number of transplants in the period of analysis, considering a world ranking with 30 nations.

Conclusion: The number of renal transplants in Brazil increased significantly over the years. However, the efforts of those involved in the different phases of the donation-transplant process should be continuous.