Video

Few College Students Have Received the H1N1 Vaccine

Night Lights Could Lead to Depression

Cervarix Has Been Approved by the FDA

The FDA Is Studying the Effects of Lasik Surgery

Painkillers Can Dull the Effects of Childhood Vaccines

Childbirth May Becoming More Complicated

Botox Sponges Might Help Nose Allergies

The FDA Advises on How to Properly Dispose of Medicine

A French Study Shows Cell Phones Do Not Affect Humans

MRIs May Lead to More Back Surgery

Your More Likely to Wash Your Hands If Someone's Watching

Co-Sleeping Is a Leading Cause of SIDS

Night Shifts Don't Have a Major Effect On Surgeons

Exercise May Counter Fatigue from Chemotherapy

Healthy Neighborhoods Could Lower the Risk for Diabetes

Kidney Donor's Sex Could Affect Women's Outcomes

Posted on 08/13/2009, 16:00
By -- Robert Preidt

Transplant failure, death risks rise if organ comes from deceased man, study finds

THURSDAY, Aug. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Female kidney recipients whose donated organ came from a deceased male face an increased risk for failure in the first year after their transplant, Canadian researchers have found.

The risk is short-term, though, and may stem from proteins on male donor cells, the researchers said. Their study found that the risk goes away after 10 years.

The researchers analyzed data on 117,877 adults who had kidney transplants in the United States between 1990 and 2004. All kidneys came from deceased donors. Within a year, transplant failure had occurred in 16,135 people, and 6,878 had died. Among the 97,906 people who were followed for up to 10 years after their transplant, there were 35,084 transplant failures and 22,566 deaths.

Compared with all other gender combinations, female recipients of male donor kidneys had a 12 percent greater risk of failure and a similar increased risk for death a year after the transplant. They had no increased risk for failure or death after 10 years.

The researchers, from the University of Toronto and University of British Columbia, said that H-Y antigens, derived from the male chromosome and not found in women, might cause an adverse immune response in women who receive kidneys from men who had died.

They recommended that "future research should examine the potential mechanisms underlying the H-Y effect in order to better understand the specific role of minor histocompatibility antigens in determining kidney allograft outcomes."

The study is published online in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

More information

The National Kidney Foundation has more about kidney transplant.

SOURCE: American Society of Nephrology, news release, July 2009

More news in Kidney Health...

BigHealthTree.com Disclaimer

Bighealthtree.com Does Not Provide Medical Advice. This site, including the above information, is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical or health advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or a qualified health or medical professional before starting any new treatment, changing existing treatment, or altering your current exercise and/or diet program. If you think you are having a medical emergency, call 911 (or the emergency services in your area) or your doctor immediately.

Rating: 3.1 / 5 (49 votes)