Willingness to pursue live-donor kidney transplantation among waitlisted patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV): a preliminary investigation

Access to Kidney Transplantation among HIV-Infected Waitlist Candidates

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Kidney transplantation among HIV-infected patients with ESRD confers a significant survival benefit over remaining on dialysis. Given the high mortality burden associated with dialysis, understanding access to kidney transplantation after waitlisting among HIV+ candidates is warranted.

DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS

Data from the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients were linked to Intercontinental Marketing Statistics pharmacy fills (January 1, 2001 to October 1, 2012) so that we could identify and study 1636 HIV+ (defined as having filled one or more antiretroviral medications unique to HIV treatment) and 72,297 HIV- kidney transplantation candidates.

RESULTS

HIV+ waiting list candidates were more often young (<50 years old: 62.7% versus 37.6%; P<0.001), were more often men (75.2% versus 59.3%; P<0.001), were more often black (73.6% versus 27.9%; P<0.001), had longer time on dialysis (years: 2.5 versus 0.8; P<0.001), were more often coinfected with hepatitis C virus (9.0% versus 3.9%; P<0.001), and were less likely to remain active on the waiting list (37.7% versus 49.4%; P<0.001). Waitlist mortality among HIV+ candidates was similar compared with HIV- candidates (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.03; 95% confidence interval, 0.89 to 1.20; P=0.67). In contrast, likelihood of living donor kidney transplantation was 47% lower (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.53; 95% confidence interval, 0.44 to 0.64; P<0.001), and there was a trend toward lower likelihood of deceased donor kidney transplantation (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.87; 95% confidence interval, 0.74 to 1.01; P=0.07) compared with in HIV- candidates.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings highlight the need for additional study to better understand disparities in access to kidney transplantation, particularly living donor kidney transplantation, among HIV+ kidney waitlist candidates.

Current status of kidney transplantation in HIV-infected patients

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

To summarize the most current literature on transplant outcomes in HIV-infected kidney recipients.

RECENT FINDINGS

HIV-infected recipients overall have excellent patient and allograft outcomes. Acute rejection, delayed graft function, drug-drug interactions and limited access to organs have emerged as important issues for HIV-infected kidney transplant patients. The subset of patients who are coinfected with hepatitis C virus do not fare as well and improving their outcomes should be a focus of future research in the field.

SUMMARY

Renal transplantation remains the optimal treatment for end stage renal disease in the HIV-infected patient.

Organ Transplantation in HIV Patients: Current Status and New Directions

Combination antiretroviral therapy has resulted in longer life expectancies in persons living with HIV; however, end organ disease and death from organ failure have become growing issues for this population. With effective therapies for viral suppression, HIV is no longer considered an absolute contraindication to organ transplantation. Over the past decade, studies of transplantation in patients with HIV have had encouraging results such that patients with organ failure are pursuing transplantation. This review focuses on the current status of organ transplantation for HIV-infected persons.

Allowing HIV-positive organ donation: ethical, legal and operational considerations

Case reports of kidney transplantation using HIV-positive (HIV+) donors in South Africa and advances in the clinical care of HIV+ transplant recipients have drawn attention to the legal prohibition of transplanting organs from HIV+ donors in the United States. For HIV+ transplant candidates, who face high barriers to transplant access, this prohibition violates beneficence by placing an unjustified limitation on the organ supply. However, transplanting HIV+ organs raises nonmaleficence concerns given limited data on recipient outcomes. Informed consent and careful monitoring of outcome data should mitigate these concerns, even in the rare circumstance when an HIV+ organ is intentionally transplanted into an HIV-negative recipient. For potential donors, the federal ban on transplanting HIV+ organs raises justice concerns. While in practice there are a number of medical criteria that preclude organ donation, only HIV+ status is singled out as a mandated exclusion to donation under the National Organ Transplant Act (NOTA). Operational objections could be addressed by adapting existing approaches used for organ donors with hepatitis. Center-specific outcomes should be adjusted for HIV donor and recipient status. In summary, transplant professionals should advocate for eliminating the ban on HIV+ organ donation and funding studies to determine outcomes after transplantation of these organs.