Medical Outcomes in African American Live Kidney Donors: A Matched Cohort Study

It is uncertain if live kidney donation increases future risk of hypertension and kidney disease in African Americans. We conducted a cohort study across two transplant centers enrolling African Americans who donated between 1993 and 2006. A comparison group of African American nondonors were selected from healthy participants in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) prospective cohort study. A total of 103 donors and 235 matched nondonors were assessed at mean ( ± SD) of 6.8 ± 2.3 and 6.4 ± 2.2 years after donation or cohort entry, respectively. The primary outcome was risk of hypertension in donors at follow-up. The secondary outcomes were proportion of donors with eGFR <60 mL/min/1.73 m2 and microalbuminuria. Hypertension risk was higher in donors compared to nondonors (42/103 [40.8%] vs. 42/235 [17.9%]), absolute risk difference 22.9% (95% confidence interval 12.2–33.6%) and relative risk 2.4 (95% confidence interval 1.7–3.4). Of the 42 donors with hypertension, 22 (52.4%) were untreated. Sixteen donors (15.5%) had an eGFR <60 mL/min/1.73 m², 6 (5.8%) had microalbuminuria and none were on dialysis. Our retrospective study shows that live kidney donation is associated with increased risk of hypertension in African Americans and emphasizes the importance of donor follow-up.