RESUMO
AIM: To analyze the national trends associated with body mass index (BMI) and living kidney donation. METHODS: Forty-seven thousand seven hundred and five adult living kidney donors as reported to the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network from 1999 to 2011 were analyzed using their pre-donation BMI. Predictor variables of interest included age, gender, ethnicity, relationship, education status, and transplant region. RESULTS: Sixteen thousand nine hundred and seventy-one of the living kidney donors were normal weight (35.6%); 19337 were overweight (40.5%); 9007 were mildly obese (18.9%); 1992 were moderate to morbidly obese (4.2%). Overweight and mildly obese kidney donors have increased through time by 12% and 20% every 5 years, respectively (P < 0.05). Donors 35-49 years of age, hispanic males or females and black females, those with high school diploma or general Education Degree, and biologically related or partner/spouses were more likely to be obese. CONCLUSION: Over the past 13 years, the majority of living kidney donors have spanned the overweight to obese categories. Paralleling the national rise is an increase in overweight and mildly obese kidney donors. A fair number of moderate to morbidly obese living kidney donors are still allowed to donate.
RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Obesity is a major epidemic and may present a significant barrier to living kidney donation. The purpose of our study was to determine the frequency of obesity as an exclusion factor and assess how often these donors lose weight and donate. METHODS: A single center, retrospective analysis of 104 potential living kidney donors between 2008 and 2012. RESULTS: Of the 104 donors, 19 (18%) had a normal body mass index (BMI) of <25. Eighty-five of the 104 (82%) donors spanned the overweight to morbidly obese classifications. Thirty-eight (37%) were overweight (BMI 25-29.9). Twenty-four (23%) were categorized as class I obesity (BMI 30-34.9), 17 (16%) as class II obesity (BMI 35-39.9), and six (6%) as class III obesity (BMI >40). There were a total of 23 donors (22%) who were considered moderately and morbidly obese (BMI >35). Of these, only three (13%) succeeded at losing weight and donating. CONCLUSIONS: Obesity may be a frequent barrier to living kidney donation, directly leading to exclusion as a potential kidney donor in about one in five instances. Successful weight loss leading to donation appears to be infrequent, suggesting need to address obesity in the donor population.
