Comparison of Health Status and Quality of Life of Related Versus Paid Unrelated Living Kidney Donors

• Published in: American journal of transplantation Vol. 13; no. 12; pp. 3210 - 3214
• Main Authors: Fallahzadeh, M. K., Jafari, L., Roozbeh, J., Singh, N., Shokouh‐Amiri, H., Behzadi, S., Rais‐Jalali, G. A., Salehipour, M., Malekhosseini, S. A., Sagheb, M. M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken, NJ Wiley 01.12.2013; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Adult; Albuminuria - diagnosis; Biological and medical sciences; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Glomerular Filtration Rate; Health Status; Humans; Iran; Kidney Transplantation - economics; Kidney Transplantation - methods; Kidney Transplantation - psychology; Living Donors - psychology; Living Donors - statistics & numerical data; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Nephrectomy - economics; Nephrology. Urinary tract diseases; Nephropathies. Renovascular diseases. Renal failure; Proteinuria; Quality of Life; Renal failure; renal insufficiency; Renal Insufficiency - therapy; Surgery (general aspects). Transplantations, organ and tissue grafts. Graft diseases; tissue donors; Urinary system involvement in other diseases. Miscellaneous; Urinary tract. Prostate gland; Iran; Kidney disease; Suboptimal donor; Human; Urinary system disease; Glomerular filtration; Unrelated donor; Health; Living donor; Rate; renal insufficiency; tissue donors; Homograft; Kidney; Quality of life; Glomerular filtration rate; Tissue; Health status; Urinary system; Renal failure; Graft; Comparative study; Proteinuria; quality of life; proteinuria
• ISSN: 1600-6135; 1600-6143
• DOI: 10.1111/ajt.12488

The aim of this cross‐sectional study was to assess the health status and quality of life (QOL) of paid unrelated versus related living kidney donors postdonation at Shiraz Transplant Center in Iran. We invited all donors (n = 580, 347 paid unrelated, 233 related) who underwent donor nephrectomy at our center from 2004 to 2010 to participate in a health survey and physical examination. Of 580 donors, 144 consented to participate; participation of paid unrelated donors was significantly lower than related (52/347 vs. 92/233; p < 0.001). Participants underwent a complete physical examination, QOL assessment (using a 36‐item short form health survey [SF‐36] questionnaire) and laboratory work‐up. The paid unrelated donors compared with related donors were younger (34.2 ± 7.2 vs. 40.7 ± 9.7 years, p < 0.001), had shorter time since donation (2.9 ± 1.6 vs. 3.8 ± 2 years, p = 0.004), had higher estimated GFR (72.6 ± 22 vs. 63.8 ± 15.3 mL/min/1.73 m2, p = 0.006) and had a higher percentage of patients with microalbuminuria (35% vs. 0%, p < 0.001). Additionally, general health and social functioning scores among paid unrelated donors were significantly lower (p < 0.001 and p = 0.02, respectively) than related donors. Other SF‐36 scores, although lower in paid unrelated donors, did not reach statistical significance. Iranian paid unrelated donors have lower QOL and higher incidence of microalbuminuria compared with related donors. This cross‐sectional study of Iranian living kidney donors shows that paid unrelated kidney donors have poor follow‐up, lower health‐related quality of life, and higher incidence of microalbuminuria postdonation compared with related kidney donors. See editorial by Gordon and Gill on page 3063.