Kidney donor outcomes ≥ 50 years after donation

Many living kidney donors (LDs) are young at donation; yet there are little data on long‐term LD follow‐up. We report on 66 LDs who donated ≥50 years ago: 22 (33.3%) are still alive (current age, 78.5 ± 7.25 years); 39 (59%) died (mean age at death, 74.2 ± 12.3 years); and 5 are lost to follow‐up (mean age at last contact, 68.7 ± 4.6 years). Those who died were older at donation (P < .001). Causes of death included 12 (30.8% of deaths) cardiovascular diseases, 9 (23.0%) respiratory failures, 5 (12.8%) malignancies and 4 (10.3%) infections, and 9 (23%) were unknown or miscellaneous. Forty‐nine living donors (74%) developed hypertension at a mean age of 59.9 ± 14.0 years; 12 (18%) developed diabetes at a mean age of 62 ± 19.4 years; and 11 (16.7%) developed proteinuria at a mean age of 60.6 ± 18.2 years—each at a similar incidence as seen in the age‐matched general population. At last follow‐up, the eGFR by CKD‐EPI (mean ± SD) for donors currently alive was 60.2 ± 13.4 mL/min/1.73 m²; for those that died, 54.0 ± 21.5 mL/min/1.73 m²; for those lost to follow‐up, 55.6 ± 7.5 mL/min/1.73 m². ESRD developed in 2 (3.3%). SF‐36 quality of life health survey scores (n = 21) were similar to the age‐matched general population.