Review of aging research and its implications
Review and implications of aging research on the effects of donor age.
The vast amount of data on the effects of donor age on organ transplantation outcomes is still underutilized in aging research. We have collected relevant studies in this review that examine the impact of donor age on graft survival and patient outcomes following liver, kidneys, pancreas and heart transplantation. The goal is to gain insights into the possible differences in aging rates among the various organs. In general, the older the donor age, worse are the outcomes for all organs. The age at which negative effects on graft survival or patient survival begin to be noticeable varies by organ. This age ranges from the third decade in life for kidney transplantation while data on heart transplantation suggests that the negative effects begin to be felt by donors older than 40 years. In liver transplantation, this threshold ranged between 30 and fifty years. These results also indicate that a negative effect on the pancreas can be seen at around 40 years of age, but these data are mostly derived from pancreas and kidney transplantation. The only donors who showed a significant effect were those over 65 years old. Negative effects of donor age on transplantation outcomes are likely to begin after the age of 50. The donor age appears to have less of an impact on corneal transplants, as most studies failed to detect any effects of donor age in the first few post-transplantation years. In general, the effects of donor age on patient and graft outcomes were observed across several organ types.
Source:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0531556518301864
