Transplantation of kidneys from HIV-positive donors is “an additional treatment option” for HIV-positive patients who require renal replacement therapy, suggest Elmi Muller and colleagues.

In their new paper, these researchers report the medium-term outcomes of HIV-positive-to-HIV-positive kidney transplantation in Groote Schuur Hospital, South Africa.

Among 27 HIV-positive recipients of kidneys from HIV-positive donors, cumulative patient survival was 84% at 1 year and at 3 years, decreasing to 74% at 5 years; graft survival was 93% at 1

year and 84% at 3 years and at 5 years. Rates of graft rejection were 8% at 1 year and 22% at 3 years. Importantly, plasma HIV load did not increase after transplantation.