Long term effects of kidney donation on blood pressure and kidney function of donors

Introduction: Kidney transplantation from a live donor has many advantages, but the donor should undergo a major surgery and accept potential morbidity and mortality. In this study, we evaluated the long term effects of nephrectomy on renal function and blood pressure of kidney donors. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we assessed 195 kidney donors. The controls were 100 healthy individuals with two kidneys. The variables were age, sex, systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), serum creatinine, creatinine clearance and proteinuria (all before and after kidney donation) and time interval between donation and study. Data analysis was accomplished using SPSS software, and paired t-test and Pearson correlation coefficient were used for data analysis. Results: Although serum creatinine was elevated at the time of study, but this rise was not significant. SBP at the time of study was significantly greater than the time of donation (P<0.001). Creatinine clearance at the time of study was significantly lower than the time of donation (P<0.001). There was no correlation between serum creatinine, creatinine clearance, SBP, DBP and age at the time of kidney donation in men. Age at the time of kidney donation was correlated with SBP and DBP and creatinine changes in women (P=0.001 and P=0.002, respectively). Conclusion: This study showed that nephrectomy does not impair renal function in donor and does not lead to a progressive rise in blood pressure or urine protein excretion up to 6.5 years after nephrectomy. Nevertheless, we suggest that kidney donors should be selected after exact screening for potential risk factors of renal disease.