Obese patients with end stage kidney disease encounter difficulties obtaining kidney transplantation (KTx) because of concern for shorter graft and patient survival. We examined the outcomes of kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) based on recipient body mass index (BMI).

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 546 living and deceased donor KTx performed between January 2001 and August 2007. KTRs were divided into 4 groups according to BMI: Normal: 18-24.9kg/m², Overweight: 25-29.9kg/m², Class 1 Obesity: 30-34.9kg/m², and Class 2&3 Obesity: ≥35kg/m². The primary outcomes were graft and patient survival. ANOVA was used to compare graft and patient survival at 1, 3 and 5 years. Cox proportional hazards adjusting for donor and recipient factors were used to assess the risk of BMI on graft and patient survival. Donor factors included age, gender, race, hypertension, diabetes, and expanded criteria donor. Recipient factors included transplant type (living vs deceased), age, gender, race, and comorbidities.

Results: Demographics and outcomes are shown in Table 1. KTRs with normal BMI were younger, mean age 42.6±13.9 years. There were no significant differences in graft and patient survival at 1, 3 and 5 years among obese and non-obese KTRs. BMI was not a risk factor for graft and patient survival after adjusting for donor and recipient factors (Table 2).