Renal transplantation in patients above 60 years of age in the modern era: A single center experience with a review of the literature

A retrospective study was conducted of 797 patients receiving renal transplants from January 1985 to March 1997. Patient and graft survival was compared for patients above and below the age of 60. Sixty-nine patients ≤60 years old received 73 kidneys. Race: 73% Caucasian, 26% Black, 1% Other. Sex: 68% M. Hypertension (19) and PCKD (15) were the most common diagnoses. Mean peak panel reactive antibody (PRA) was 37.7%. Donor age was 2 to 66 years. Mean Cold ischemic time was 28.1 hours. Follow-up was until death or until 8/30/97. Patients <60 years included: 62% Caucasian, 34% Black, 4% Other; 60% male, Mean PRA 39.3. Of the 69 study patients, 27 died: 19 with a functioning graft, 8 within one year of transplantation. Cardiovascular causes (19 patients, 72%) and infection (7 patients, 24%) were most common. Common causes of graft loss were death with a functioning graft (19) and chronic rejection (15); other causes were acute rejection and primary non-function. Univariate analysis of 18 risk factors showed CHF and past history of vascular surgery significantly (p < 0.05) affected time of return to dialysis. Multi-variate analysis did not show these independent variables to be significant. Abnormal ejection fraction and presence of q waves on EKG significantly affected time to death (p < 0.05) on uni- and multi-variate analysis. After censoring patients that died with functioning grafts, difference in graft survival between ≥60 and <59 years was not significant (p > 0.2). In this study, 68% of older patients had allografts functioning at 1 year. The fact that older patients succumb over time from natural causes should not keep patients from transplantation. Immunosuppressive agents need to be limited to reduce the incidence of infection. Criteria need to be refined to define those who are at prohibitive risk, who may not be candidates for transplantation.