Can Kidney Transplants Be Safely Performed Between HIV Positive People

A recent study indicates that individuals with HIV can safely accept kidneys from deceased donors who were also HIV positive. This could reduce wait times for organ transplants for everyone, regardless of HIV status. The study, published in the new England journal of medicine, examined 198 kidney transplants in outcomes whether the kidney came from an HIV-positive or HIV-negative donor. The U.S government is considering a rule change that would allow kidney and liver transplants from HIV positive donors to HIV-positive recipients outside of research studies. This could take effect in the coming year and would apply to both living and deceased donors.

The study followed patients for up to four years. It found similar survival rates and low rates of organ rejection for those who received HIV-positive donor kidneys and those who received  HIV-negative ones. In a few cases, patients HIV levels rose due to missed medications but were brought back to low levels.

In 2010, south African surgeons first showed that it was safe to use organs from HIV- positive donors for HIV- positive recipients. The U.S lifted its ban on this practice in 2013, allowing research studies. In 2019, the world’s first kidney transplant from a living HIV-positive donor to an HIV-positive recipient took place. Many people with HIV have been discouraged from becoming organ donors due to stigma nd outdated laws. Carrie foote, an HIV-positive sociology professor, emphasized that allowing HIV-positive donations would help both those with HIV and those without, as it increases the overall number of available organs.

More than 90,000 people are on the waiting list for kidney transplants, and in 2022, over 4,000 people died waiting. Dr. Elmi muller of south Africa, who helped start this practice, said the study will impact many countries that don’t yet perform such transplants and that it advances fairness for people living with HIV.

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