Study finds paediatric kidney transplant patients fare better when organ is from live donor

A new UC Davis Health study has found that paediatric kidney transplant patients have better long-term outcomes when their kidney comes from living, biologically unrelated donors compared to deceased donors.

The study reviewed data from the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network database from January 1, 2001, to Sept. 30, 2021.

Researchers compared the rates of graft failure (when the organ is rejected by the recipient) and death, as well as long-term outcomes of children who received kidney transplants from living related donors, living unrelated donors, and deceased donors.

It is the largest study of its kind and was published in the journal Pediatric Transplantation.