Infections caused by the virus cytomegalovirus, or CMV, is frequently blamed for complications that occur after kidney transplant surgeries, but recent research shared by American Physiological Society suggests donor and recipient age is a better indicator of transplant success.
In the study, the researchers examined the outcomes of 594 patients who underwent kidney transplantation over a 10-year period. They tracked CMV infection incidence, transplanted kidney function loss and damage, the transplant lifespan and patient survival rates.
Ultimately, they found patients who developed CMV had a higher prevalence of damage to the transplanted kidney before the infection even occurred, meaning transplant damage was more likely related to the organ donor and not the infection.
Additionally, they discovered transplant failure was associated with older donor age and poor transplant function occurring soon after operation. CMV infection incidence was not actually a significant factor in the study.
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