©The Author(s) 2016. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Jun 7, 2016; 22(21): 4966-4976
Published online Jun 7, 2016. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v22.i21.4966
Published online Jun 7, 2016. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v22.i21.4966
How important is donor age in liver transplantation?
Alberto Lué, Sara Lorente, M Trinidad Serrano, Liver Transplantation Unit, Department of Gastroenterology, University Hospital Lozano Blesa, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain
Alberto Lué, Estela Solanas, Pedro Baptista, Sara Lorente, Agustin Garcia-Gil, M Trinidad Serrano, Health Research Institute of Aragon (IIS), 50009 Zaragoza, Spain
Pedro Baptista, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CiberEHD), 28029 Madrid, Spain
Juan J Araiz, Transplant Coordination, University Hospital Lozano Blesa, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain
Agustin Garcia-Gil, Liver Transplant Unit, Department of Surgery, University Hospital Lozano Blesa, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain
Author contributions: Lué A, Solanas E, Baptista P and Serrano MT wrote the paper; Lué A, Solanas E, Lorente S, Araiz JJ, García-Gil A and Serrano MT contributed to data collection; Solanas E, Lorente S, Baptista P and Serrano MT revised and contributed to paper structure.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors have no conflict of interest to report.
Correspondence to: M Trinidad Serrano, MD, PhD (Med), Liver Transplantation Unit, Department of Gastroenterology, University Hospital Lozano Blesa, C/San Juan Bosco 15, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain. utra.hcu@salud.aragon.es
Telephone: +34-976-556400 Fax: +34-976-768846
Received: March 20, 2016
Peer-review started: March 22, 2016
First decision: March 31, 2016
Revised: April 15, 2016
Accepted: May 4, 2016
Article in press: May 4, 2016
Published online: June 7, 2016
Processing time: 71 Days and 14.1 Hours
Peer-review started: March 22, 2016
First decision: March 31, 2016
Revised: April 15, 2016
Accepted: May 4, 2016
Article in press: May 4, 2016
Published online: June 7, 2016
Processing time: 71 Days and 14.1 Hours
Core Tip
Core tip: Because of a donor shortage, the use of grafts from old donors has become widespread. Donor age is related to worse outcomes after liver transplantation, higher rates of graft failure, biliary complications and a worse graft survival. In recipients with hepatitis C, the impact of donor age is even more evident. Aging-related changes at the hepatocellular level may contribute to a decreased capacity of the liver to manage or overcome liver diseases and injuries. This review summarizes the evidence regarding the impact of donor age on liver transplantation outcomes.