Background: Reports about prognosis of adults receiving small pediatric-donor kidneys (PDK) as compared to those receiving elder pediatric or adult donor kidneys (ADKs) are controversial. This study aimed to examine the outcomes of adults receiving small PDK and possible prognostic factors.
Methods: The records of adults who received kidneys from donors < 10 years old at our center from July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2018 were reviewed.
Results: A total of 121 adults were small PDK recipients. Twenty-three patients received 29 biopsies or nephrectomy between 6 and 896 days posttransplantation days. Seven patients (30.4%) had pediatric donor glomerulopathy (PDG), which developed from 113 to 615 days posttransplantation. The incidence of proteinuria and hematuria was significantly higher in the PDG group. The characteristic pathological finding in PDG was irregular lamination and splintering of the glomerular basement membrane (GBM). Donor age, donor weight, and donor kidney volume were significantly less in PDG cases compared with the non-PDG cases. For the risk factors of PDG, increasing urinary RBC count during follow-up was an independent predictor, while increasing donor age and body weight were protective factors. PDG was not a significant risk factor for Scr increasing of PDKs.
Conclusions: PDG is a potential cause of abnormal urinalysis in adults receiving small PDKs. The pathological characteristic change of PDG is splitting and lamination of GBM. Persistent hematuria after transplantation in recipients of PDK is a predictor of PDG development.