BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Transplant "tourism" typically refers to the practice of traveling outside the country of residence to obtain organ transplantation. This study describes the characteristics and outcomes of 33 kidney transplant recipients who traveled abroad for transplant and returned to University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) for follow-up. DESIGN, SETTINGS, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS: Posttransplantation outcomes were compared between tourists and a matched cohort of patients who underwent transplantation at UCLA (matched for age, race, transplant year, dialysis time, previous transplantation, and donor type). Median follow-up time was 487 d (range 68 to 3056). RESULTS: Compared with all patients who underwent transplantation at UCLA, tourists included more Asians and had shorter dialysis times. Most patients traveled to their region of ethnicity with the majority undergoing transplantation in China (44%), Iran (16%), and the Philippines (13%). Living unrelated transplants were most common. Tourists presented to UCLA a median of 35 d after transplantation. Four patients required urgent hospitalization, three of whom lost their grafts. Seventeen (52%) patients had infections, with nine requiring hospitalization. One patient lost her graft and subsequently died from complications related to donor-contracted hepatitis B. One-year graft survival was 89% for tourists and 98% for the matched UCLA cohort (P = 0.75). The rate of acute rejection at 1 yr was 30% in tourists and 12% in the matched cohort. CONCLUSIONS: Tourists had a more complex posttransplantation course with a higher incidence of acute rejection and severe infectious complications.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Transplant "tourism" typically refers to the practice of traveling outside the country of residence to obtain organ transplantation. This study describes the characteristics and outcomes of 33 kidney transplant recipients who traveled abroad for transplant and returned to University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) for follow-up. DESIGN, SETTINGS, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS: Posttransplantation outcomes were compared between tourists and a matched cohort of patients who underwent transplantation at UCLA (matched for age, race, transplant year, dialysis time, previous transplantation, and donor type). Median follow-up time was 487 d (range 68 to 3056). RESULTS: Compared with all patients who underwent transplantation at UCLA, tourists included more Asians and had shorter dialysis times. Most patients traveled to their region of ethnicity with the majority undergoing transplantation in China (44%), Iran (16%), and the Philippines (13%). Living unrelated transplants were most common. Tourists presented to UCLA a median of 35 d after transplantation. Four patients required urgent hospitalization, three of whom lost their grafts. Seventeen (52%) patients had infections, with nine requiring hospitalization. One patient lost her graft and subsequently died from complications related to donor-contracted hepatitis B. One-year graft survival was 89% for tourists and 98% for the matched UCLA cohort (P = 0.75). The rate of acute rejection at 1 yr was 30% in tourists and 12% in the matched cohort. CONCLUSIONS: Tourists had a more complex posttransplantation course with a higher incidence of acute rejection and severe infectious complications.
Authors: S A A Naqvi; S A H Rizvi; M N Zafar; E Ahmed; B Ali; K Mehmood; M J Awan; B Mubarak; F Mazhar Journal: Am J Transplant Date: 2008-07 Impact factor: 8.086
Authors: M S Sever; R Kazancioğlu; A Yildiz; A Türkmen; T Ecder; S M Kayacan; V Celik; S Sahin; A E Aydin; U Eldegez; E Ark Journal: Kidney Int Date: 2001-10 Impact factor: 10.612
Authors: A B Leichtman; D Cohen; D Keith; K O'Connor; M Goldstein; V McBride; C J Gould; L L Christensen; V B Ashby Journal: Am J Transplant Date: 2008-04 Impact factor: 8.086
Authors: R M Merion; A D Barnes; M Lin; V B Ashby; V McBride; E Ortiz-Rios; J C Welch; G N Levine; F K Port; J Burdick Journal: Am J Transplant Date: 2008-04 Impact factor: 8.086
Authors: Fawaz Al Ammary; Alvin G Thomas; Allan B Massie; Abimereki D Muzaale; Ashton A Shaffer; Brittany Koons; Mohamud A Qadi; Deidra C Crews; Jacqueline Garonzik-Wang; Hai Fang; Daniel C Brennan; Krista L Lentine; Dorry L Segev; Macey L Henderson Journal: Am J Transplant Date: 2019-02-08 Impact factor: 8.086
Authors: Jenell Stewart; Gretchen Snoeyenbos Newman; Rupali Jain; Andrew Bryan; Heather Berger; Martin Montenovo; Ramasamy Bakthavatsalam; Catherine E Kling; Lena Sibulesky; Sherene Shalhub; Ajit P Limaye; Cynthia E Fisher; Robert M Rakita Journal: Am J Transplant Date: 2018-10-29 Impact factor: 8.086