Temporal trends, center-level variation, and the impact of prevalent state obesity rates on acceptance of obese living kidney donors

The impact of predonation obesity on long-term outcomes of living kidney donors remains controversial. Published guidelines offer varying recommendations regarding body mass index (BMI, kg/m2) thresholds for donor acceptance. We examined temporal and center-level variation in BMI of accepted donors across US transplant centers. Using national transplant registry data, we performed multivariate hierarchical logistic regression modeling using pairwise comparisons (overweight, BMI 25-29.9; mildly obese, BMI 30-34.9; very obese, BMI >35; versus normal BMI, 18.5-24.9). Metrics of heterogeneity, including median odds ratio (MOR), were calculated. Among 90,013 living kidney donors, 2001-2016, proportions who were very obese decreased and proportions who were mildly obese or overweight increased. Significant center-level heterogeneity was noted in BMI of accepted donors; the MOR varyed from 1.10 for overweight to 1.93 for very obese donors. At centers located in the 10 states with the highest general population obesity rates, adjusted odds of very obese donor status were 185% higher (reference: normal BMI) than in states with the lowest obesity rates. Although there is a declining trend in acceptance of very obese living kidney donors, variation across centers is significant. Further, local population obesity rates may affect the decision to accept obese individuals as donors. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.