Risks from the donated kidney

On average, a kidney transplant from a living donor lasts for 20-25 years, while a kidney transplant from a deceased donor lasts 15-20 years

Some donated kidneys are likely to work for longer than others. Generally, living donor kidneys are more likely to work straight away after the transplant and last for longer compared to kidneys from deceased donors. 

Learn more about living kidney donation

Learn more about deceased kidney donation

In general, kidneys from older donors do not tend to work for as long as kidneys from younger donors.

There is also an increased risk of transmitting a cancer from an older donor, as most cancers are more common in older people. The overall risk of this happening is very small (less than 1 in 1,000, on average).

Although donor age is important, other donor factors are also important. Focusing on donor age alone can be misleading. Given that most kidney transplants from older donors do well, it is still be better in most cases to have a transplant from an older donor than to stay on dialysis.

A history of high blood pressure (hypertension) in the donor may mean that a donated kidney will not last for as many years.

It is possible for donated kidneys to pass on diseases such as infections or even cancer. It is very rare that serious diseases are passed on (less than a 1 in 1,000 chance). Unfortunately, no test can completely remove the risk of passing on a disease with a transplanted organ.

Some viral infections are very common in otherwise healthy people, including organ donors, and are unlikely to cause problems in the recipient. An example of this common type of viral infection is CMV (cytomegalovirus). You will be given tablets that can successfully treat CMV infection if it is passed on from the donor to the recipient.

Learn more about the risk of infections

Sometimes, the donor’s kidneys may not be working well just before they die. When a kidney stops working suddenly, the problem is often reversible. This is called ‘acute kidney injury’ and these kidneys can often be transplanted safely with good results. In most cases (19 out of 20), these kidneys can then work very well in patients who receive them as transplants. Unfortunately, 1 in 20 do not.

Your transplant team will only accept such a kidney if they think that there is a good chance that the kidney will recover once it has been transplanted.

Kidneys that have not worked well in the donor for a long time before their death, or where the donor is known to have significant kidney disease, are not used for kidney transplantation.

Sometimes, the transplant team may predict that the kidney will be suitable to use for transplantation when the organ is offered to you. But when the kidney is removed from the donor, or when it arrives at the transplant centre, more information is available. The kidney may have been damaged during removal, or there may be scars or lumps in the kidney that might make it less suitable to transplant. Your kidney transplant team will tell you if they have any concerns about how the kidney looks.