Long-term (>= 20 yr) status of 14 cadaveric kidney-transplant recipients

The aim of this study was to analyze the status of patients with a successf ul long-term (greater than or equal to 20 yr) kidney graft. Nineteen (8.1%) of the 234 recipients who received a cadaveric kidney transplant between 1 968 and 1978 in our center are still alive 21.7 +/- 1.6 yr (mean +/- standa rd error of the mean) later with a functioning allograft. Function, includi ng measurement of the renal functional reserve (RFR), histological status, and morbidity were evaluated. Fourteen patients agreed to participate in this study. Their current immuno suppressive regimens combined prednisone (P) + azathioprine (AZA) (n = 9), P + AZA + cyclosporine (CsA) (n = 3) or P + CsA (n = 2). Although they desc ribed their quality of life as good, 10 patients had mild hypertension, 5 d eveloped 10 malignancies (9 cutaneous), 5 had replicative hepatitis, 8 had osteopenia, and 6 had cataracts, but none had diabetes mellitus. Proteinuri a was detected in 6 patients, but was always less than 1 g/d. Mean serum cr eatinine was 1.28 +/- 0.28 mg/dL and glomerular filtration rate was 54.5 +/ - 5.3 ml/min/1.73 m(2) RFR was present for 4 patients with a mean value of + 14.8 +/- 1.9 mL/min. Their functional status was not correlated with the histological lesions observed in concomitant transplant biopsies. Kidney grafts are able to function well even more than 20 yr posttransplant ation, with some having a RFR whose significance remains unknown. Morbidity is of minor clinical severity, but could be further reduced with optimized management. Moreover, transplantation is much less costly than hemodialysi s.