INTRODUCTION: Renal transplantation is regarded as the best treatment for patients with Chronic Kidney Disease. Factors associated to survival of renal transplant recipients must be evaluated in order to implement appropriate conducts in these patients. AIMS: To analyze the renal transplant patients survival and associated factors to their mortality. METHODS: Observational, retrospective cohort study, including all the 215 patients who underwent kidney transplantation in the Renal Transplant Service of the Hospital Universitário da Universidade Federal do Maranhão (HUUFMA), from March 18, 2000 to September 18, 2008, with a follow-up ranging from 12 to 101 months. Demographic and clinical characteristics were observed. The Kaplan-Meier method was used for construction of survival curves, and they were compared by log-rank test. The Cox proportional hazards model was used for identification of factors associated to mortality. RESULTS: The prevalence of deaths was 10,6%. The survival rates at 1, 3 and 5 years for living donors recipients were 97,8%, 94,1% and 92,9%, respectively and for deceased donors recipients, 95,6% and 95,6%, at 1 and 3 years, respectively. Factors statistically associated to a lower survival were: recipient age above 40 years (RR = 6.19; p = 0.001; 95% CI = 2.01-18.99) and surgery complications (RR = 4.98; p = 0.041; 95% CI = 1.07-23.27). CONCLUSIONS: Kidney recipients survival rates at HUUFMA were similar to the rates related in other, Brazilian and international studies. Recipient age above 40 years and surgery complications were significantly associated to mortality in this study.
kidney transplantation; mortality; risk factors; survival
