*Purpose: The number of Kidney transplants (KTx) among people living with HIV (PLWH) who develop end-stage renal disease (ESRD) has been increasing in many transplant centers in the U.S. The state of Mississippi (MS) has one of highest rates of HIV infection, poverty and obesity. Barriers that prevent these patients (pts) from being referred for KTx evaluation in our state, however, have not been well studied.

*Methods: We performed a retrospective data search among all pts that received care at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, the only transplant center in MS, between January 2013 and June 2019. We included all pts ≥ 18 years of age who were HIV+ and eligible for listing under UNOS/OPTN guidelines for KTx. Pts’s data were screened by Infectious Diseases (ID) and Transplant Nephrology providers to determine their eligibility for KTx. Requirements from ID perspective were the same as per the Hope Act.

*Results: A total of 48 PLWH and ESRD were identified. After detailed screening, only 17 patients (35%) met requirements for transplant selection. The mean age was 54 years. The majority of pts were male (66%) and African American (96%). Detailed demographic and clinical data is shown in Table 1. Barriers for not qualifying for transplant evaluation are shown on Figure 1.

*Conclusions: In our cohort of PLWH with ESRD, we identified the barriers that prevent these patients from being referred for KTx evaluation. The main barriers included not being in care in the prior 6 months (53%) and non-compliance with medical care (19%).

« Back to 2020 American Transplant Congress