A prospective controlled study of metabolic and physiologic effects of kidney donation suggests that donors retain stable kidney function over the first nine years.

While there have been numerous studies of living kidney donors, most have been retrospective without suitable controls and have yielded conflicting results. To clarify this we studied 205 living donor candidates and 203 controls having no medical conditions precluding donation. Before and at six months, one, two, three, six, and nine years after donation we measured iohexol glomerular filtration rate, clinic blood pressure, urine protein excretion and metabolic parameters reported to be affected by kidney function. We measured 24 hour ambulatory blood pressure at three, six, and nine years and at six and nine years blood pressure after treadmill exercise, carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity and arterial elasticity. Between six months and nine years, the mean (95% confidence interval) change in glomerular filtration rate was significantly different among 133 donors 0·02 (-0·16-0·20) mL/min/1·73m2/year versus -1·26 (-1·52--1·00) mL/min/1·73m2/year in 113 healthy controls. Blood pressure, urine protein, urine albumin, glucose, hemoglobin A1c, insulin, and lipoproteins were not different in controls versus donors; but parathyroid hormone, homocysteine and uric acid remained higher at nine years. At six and nine years carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity was not different, but the mean small artery elasticity was significantly lower in 141 donors 6·1 mL/mmHg x100, versus 113 controls 7·1 mL/mmHg x100, and 6·1 mL/mmHg x100 in 137 donors versus 7·6 mL/mmHg x100 in 112 controls at six and nine years, respectively [significant adjusted difference of 1·1 mL/mmHg x100]. Thus, donors remain healthy with stable kidney function for the first nine years, but differences in metabolic and vascular parameters could be harbingers of adverse outcomes requiring future interventions.

Marijuana use should not preclude consideration for kidney transplantation.

Transplant eligibility for tobacco and/or marijuana using candidates varies among transplant centers. This study compared the impact of marijuana use and tobacco use on kidney transplant recipient outcomes. Kidney transplant recipients at a single center from 2001 to 2015 were reviewed for outcomes of all-cause graft loss, infection, biopsy-proven acute rejection, and estimated glomerular filtration rate between four groups: marijuana-only users, marijuana and tobacco users, tobacco-only users, and nonusers. The cohort (N = 919) included 48 (5.2%) marijuana users, 45 (4.8%) marijuana and tobacco users, 136 (14.7%) tobacco users, and 75% nonusers. Smoking status was not significantly associated with acute rejection, estimated glomerular filtration rate or pneumonia within one-year post-transplant in an adjusted model. Compared to nonuse, marijuana and tobacco use and tobacco-only use was significantly associated with increased risk of graft loss (aHR 1.68, P = .034 and 1.52, P = .006, respectively). Patients with isolated marijuana use had similar overall graft survival compared to nonusers (aHR 1.00, P = .994). Marijuana use should not be an absolute contraindication to kidney transplant.