HIV Patients as Kidney Donors: How Safe is it?

Renal transplantation is fairly common among HIV-positive patients. However, both HIV donors and recipients are at an increased risk of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and CKD post-transplantation due to the use of antiretroviral medications. Now, a small multicentric study has shown that HIV patients who donated a kidney to other HIV patients are at a lower risk of developing ESRD. The study evaluated the renal function and other clinical parameters of three living HIV donors.

The authors calculated the 9-year cumulative risk of developing ESRD using a previously established model based on various factors such as age, sex, hypertension, CD4 count, HIV viral load, etc. The donors were evaluated at 3 and 6 months post-donation, and then every year - Donor 1: Post-donation decline in mGFR values of 19 ml/min/1.73 m2, which was comparable to that of healthy patients. Minor adverse events…