Scientists have proven that kidney transplantation between HIV-positive patients is safe and not associated with additional risks of complications. This is stated in the study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Researchers analyzed 198 cases of kidney transplants in the United States. The results showed that HIV patients who received organs from HIV-negative donors had the same survival rates and transplant rejection rates as those who received kidneys from HIV-negative donors.
Recently, the US Department of Health proposed changing the rules to allow kidney and liver transplants from HIV-positive donors outside of research. If the changes are approved, kidney and liver transplants from HIV-positive donors outside of scientific research and with the participation of living and deceased donors will be allowed next year.
The study involved HIV patients who had kidney failure and agreed to receive an organ from both HIV-positive and HIV-negative donors, depending on availability.
For four years, the researchers followed the patients and compared the results. Those who received organs from HIV-positive donors had the same high survival rates and low rates of organ rejection as those who received kidneys from people without HIV.
Some patients had high levels of HIV in their blood after the transplant, but this was mostly because they were not taking their medication properly. However, in all cases the virus quickly returned to very low or even undetectable levels.
«This study confirms that such transplants are safe and highly successful,” said one of the authors of the study, Dorrie Sevig.
The idea of transplanting organs from HIV-positive donors was first tested in 2010 in South Africa. In the US, this practice has been allowed only since 2013 as part of scientific research.
Subsequently, in 2019, doctors from Johns Hopkins University performed the world's first kidney transplant from a living donor with HIV to an HIV-positive recipient.
As sociology professor Carrie Foott noted, this will not only help people with HIV, but also reduce the overall waiting time for organs for everyone.
According to the American Transplant Network, more than 90 people in the United States are waiting for kidney transplants, and in 2022, more than 4 will die without waiting for the operation.
Commenting on the study, South Africa's Dr. Elmi Muller said the discovery could have a major impact in many countries that do not yet use organs from HIV-positive donors.
«We have taken another step towards justice and equality for people living with HIV", she emphasized.
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