Long-term health after kidney donation: 50-year comparison with similar local people
Outcomes in living kidney donors over 50 years compared to a healthy matched contemporaneous non-donor cohort from the same geographical region
This research compares the long-term health of people who donated a kidney to similar healthy people from the same region to clarify donation-related risks over decades.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Minnesota NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Minneapolis, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11224652 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you donated a kidney at the University of Minnesota, researchers will use donor records and surveys collected every three years and link them to regional medical records through the Rochester Epidemiology Project. Each donor will be matched to healthy non-donors from the same place and era to compare outcomes like end-stage kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, and death. The project corrects limits of prior work by using contemporaneous, geographically matched, health-screened controls and accounting for family history. Results aim to give clearer, long-term risk information and guide follow-up care for donors.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults who have served as living kidney donors (especially those followed at the University of Minnesota) and healthy adults from the same geographic region who never donated are the ideal candidates for comparison.
Not a fit: People who never donated a kidney and do not share similar age, location, or health background may not receive direct benefit from this project's specific findings.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could give clearer, long-term risk information to help future donors make informed choices and help doctors plan donor follow-up care.
How similar studies have performed: Previous studies have shown mixed results—some found no long-term difference while more recent work suggested higher risks but had methodological flaws, so this project uses a stronger matched, contemporaneous design to clarify outcomes.
Where this research is happening
Minneapolis, United States
- University of Minnesota — Minneapolis, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Matas, Arthur J — University of Minnesota
- Study coordinator: Matas, Arthur J
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.