Organs Transplanted From Overweight Donors Increase Risks For Recipients

Obesity is a worldwide health problem. According to estimations from a 2008 World Health Organization (WHO) report, 1.4 billion adults were overweight, including 200 million men and 300 million women classified as obese. A 2010 WHO report also states that over 40 million children under the age of five were overweight. Experts say that the rate of children rates of being overweight and obesity have increased amongst children and now exceed 30% in the U.S.

A study published in the August edition of Liver Transplantation has revealed that children who have a liver transplantation are at greater risk of graft loss and death from adult organ donors who are severely obese. The study also found that pediatric donor body mass index (BMI) did not increase mortality risk in this pediatric population.

Over the last 20 years the prevalence of overweight and obese donors to adult liver transplant recipients has increased, according to earlier research.

Leading author Dr. Philip Rosenthal, from California University’s San Francisco’s Benioff Children’s Hospital explains: “Donor BMI is associated with post-transplant obesity, but not survival rates of adult liver recipients. Our study is the first to evaluate the impact of donor BMI on pediatric liver transplant recipients.”

The researchers obtained data from the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) and identified 3,788 pediatric liver transplants between 2004 and 2010. An analysis of the data suggests no link of graft loss or mortality in pediatric liver recipients who received a liver from adult donors with a BMI of 25-35 kg/m2, although the team discovered after adjusting for other recipient, donor and transplant risk factors that adult donors with a BMI above 35 kg/m2 elevated the risk of graft loss and death in pediatric recipients. Pediatric donor BMI was not linked to graft or patient survival.

Dr. Rosenthal concludes: “While we found it common for adult donors to be overweight or obese, our analysis suggests that BMI in the 25 to 35 range should not deter liver donation.”

The team highlights that causes of graft loss, death, and donor steatosis could not be determined due to lack of donor biopsies and Rosenthal stated: “Further research is needed to understand the impact of obesity on donor acceptability and how this affects pediatric liver transplant patients.”

Written by Petra Rattue