Kidney transplantation in elderly Iranian patients.

The population of elderly people with chronic renal insufficiency is increasing around the world. It has been shown that renal transplantation (RT) may be the best treatment for these patients. However, it has been observed that older patients who have received a RT have a higher mortality rate than those who are younger. The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcome of RT in recipients over 50 years of age. During the period between 1988 and 2002, 650 renal transplantations were performed at the Imam Reza Hospital in Mashad, Iran, of which 83 were performed in patients older than 50 years (50 to 66 years). We studied the one, three, and five-year patient and graft survival rates as well as the prevalence of urinary tract infection (UTI) after transplantation in these patients. We also evaluated the effect of the recipient's age and sex and the type of donor (related or unrelated) on patient survival as well as the prevalence of UTI. Patient survival at one, three, and five years after RT were 92.4%, 84.7%, and 75.6%, respectively. The graft survival at one, three, and five years after RT were 91.1%, 79.7%, and 66.7%, respectively. UTI occurred in 67.1% of patients after transplantation. The patient and graft survival rates were not related to the age and sex of the recipients and the type of donors. Also, there was no correlation between the prevalence of UTI and the age and sex of the recipients. Our study suggests that RT can be performed safely and with acceptable prognosis in elderly patients after appropriate clinical evaluation.