Research
Study links living kidney donation with higher pregnancy complication risk
Most pregnancies after living kidney donation were uncomplicated, but donors had a higher observed rate of hospitalization for gestational hypertension, preeclampsia or eclampsia.
A Canadian matched cohort study found that living kidney donation was associated with a higher rate of hospitalization for gestational hypertension, preeclampsia or eclampsia during a later pregnancy. The study included 385 pregnancies among 252 kidney donors and 1,540 pregnancies among 1,535 nondonors. The primary outcome occurred in 11.9% of donor pregnancies and 8.3% of nondonor pregnancies, with a risk ratio of 1.51 (95% CI 1.10-2.08). The findings were presented at the American Society of Nephrology Kidney Week meeting and published simultaneously in JAMA.
The study also reported small-for-gestational-age births, defined as birth weight below the 10th percentile, in 13.8% of donor pregnancies and 7.9% of nondonor pregnancies. The authors said this finding requires confirmation in other studies. Fewer than 2% of pregnancies in either group had the primary outcome first recorded before 34 weeks. Amit X. Garg told MedPage Today that donor candidates who may become pregnant should be counseled about the observed risks. He said most pregnancies after donation proceed without major issues.
