Very long‐term follow‐up of living kidney donors

Summary Knowledge of the very long-term consequences of kidney donors has not been previously reported extensively. The 398 persons who had donated a kidney between 1952 and 2008 at Necker hospital were contacted. Among the 310 donors who were located, the survival probabilities for this population were similar to those of the general population and end stage renal disease incidence was 581 per million population per year. All located donors still alive were asked to complete a medico-psychosocial questionnaire and give samples for serum creatinine and urinary albumin assays. Among the 204 donors who responded to the questionnaire, mean eGFR was 64.4 ± 14.6 ml/min per 1.73 m2 and mean microalbuminuria was 27.0 ± 83 mg/g. Most donors never regretted the donation and consider that it has no impact on their professional or social lives. Among the 59 donors who gave a kidney more than 30 years ago (mean 40.2 years, range 30–48 years) had a mean eGFR of 67.5 ± 17.4 μmol/l, a mean microalbuminuria level of 44.8 ± 123.2 mg/g and none was dialyzed. In conclusion, living kidney donation does not impact survival, kidney function, medical condition or psychological or social status over the very long-term.