Clinical Outcomes and Quality of Life in Older De Novo Kidney Transplant Recipients Under Once-Daily Tacrolimus Formulations: The BITACORA Study


Por: Andrés, A, Jiménez, S, Regidor, MJA, Moreso, F, Crespo, M, Cabañas, NS, Gómez, G, López, V, Corte, MDCD, Fraile-Gómez, P, Lorenzo, I, San Millán, JCR, Cañas, L, Benot, AR, Romero, NC, Diekmann, F, Mendiluce, A, Rivera, CF, Gallego, R, Jiménez, C, Martin-Moreno, PL, Tagarro, EF, Díaz, C, Urcuyo, BM, Roncero, FMG

Publicada: 7 mar 2026
Resumen:
Introduction Although advanced age is no longer a contraindication for renal transplantation, real-world data on elderly transplant recipients remain limited. Methods This multicenter, prospective study enrolled de novo kidney transplant recipients aged 60 years or older receiving once-daily tacrolimus immunosuppression, following recovery of renal function and referral to the transplant clinic. The primary objective was to describe clinical characteristics and post-transplant outcomes over a 12-month follow-up. Secondary objectives included assessing changes in quality of life and the relationship between biopsy-proven acute rejection (BPAR) and tacrolimus levels. Results Of 280 evaluable patients, 239 completed the 12-month follow-up (mean recipient age: 69.8 years; mean donor age: 69.1 years) and 41 (14.6%) terminated due to graft loss (13, 31.7%), tacrolimus termination (12, 29.3%), death (10, 24.4%), loss to follow-up (3, 7.3%), other (2, 4.9%), and temporary tacrolimus interruption (1, 2.4%). BPAR occurred in 8.2% of patients who showed significantly higher tacrolimus levels vs those without BPAR over the follow-up (9.8 ng/mL vs. 8.9 ng/mL; p = 0.01). Opportunistic infections were reported in 78.3% patients with BPAR vs 58.8% without BPAR (p = 0.07). Quality of life improved across different domains of the Kidney Transplant Questionnaire and the ESRD-SCL. Conclusion This study monitored clinical outcomes during the first year post-transplant in older de novo kidney transplant recipients receiving grafts from older donors and under a once-daily tacrolimus-based immunosuppressive regimen. The incidence of BPAR, graft loss, and mortality was low, and patients generally experienced an improvement in quality of life, indicating an effective and safe procedure in this population.

Filiaciones:
Andrés, A:
 Hosp Univ 12 Octubre, Nephrol Dept, Madrid, Spain

Jiménez, S:
 Hosp Univ Ramon & Cajal, Nephrol Dept, Madrid, Spain

 Univ Alcala de Henares, Madrid, Spain

Regidor, MJA:
 Hosp Univ Miguel Servet, Nephrol Dept, Zaragoza, Spain

Moreso, F:
 Hosp Univ Vall dHebron, Dept Nephrol, Barcelona, Spain

 Autonomous Univ Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

Crespo, M:
 Hosp del Mar, Nephrol Dept, Barcelona, Spain

 Univ Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain

Cabañas, NS:
 Fundacio Puigvert, Dept Nephrol, Barcelona, Spain

Gómez, G:
 Hosp Univ Son Espases, Nephrol Dept, Palma Illes Balears, Spain

López, V:
 Univ Malaga, Reg Univ Hosp Malaga, Malaga Biomed Res Inst IBIMA BIONAND Platform, Nephrol Dept, Malaga, Spain

Corte, MDCD:
 Univ Oviedo, Hosp Univ Cent Asturias Translat Immunol, Hlth Res Inst Principal Asturias ISPA, Nephrol Dept, Oviedo, Asturias, Spain

Fraile-Gómez, P:
 Complejo Asistencial Univ Salamanca, Nephrol Dept, Salamanca, Spain

Lorenzo, I:
 Hosp Albacete, Nephrol Dept, Albacete, Spain

San Millán, JCR:
 Marques de Valdecilla Univ Hosp, Immunol Dept, Immunopathol Grp, IDIVAL, Santander, Spain

Cañas, L:
 Univ Hosp Germans Trials i Pujols, Nephrol Dept, Badalona, Barcelona, Spain

Benot, AR:
 Univ Hosp Reina Sofia, Renal Unit, Dept Nephrol, Cordoba, Spain

Romero, NC:
 Hosp Clin San Carlos, Nephrol Dept, Madrid, Spain

Diekmann, F:
 Inst Salud Carlos III, Nephrol Dept, Lab Expt Nefrol & Trasplantament LENIT, IDIBAPS,Hosp Clin Barcelona, Madrid, Spain

Mendiluce, A:
 Hosp Clin Univ Valladolid, Nephrol Dept, Valladolid, Spain

Rivera, CF:
 Complexo Hosp Univ Coruna, Nephrol Dept, La Coruna, Spain

Gallego, R:
 Hosp Dr Negrin, Nephrol Dept, Las Palmas Gran Canaria, Spain

Jiménez, C:
 Hosp Univ La Paz, IdiPAZ, Dept Nephrol, Madrid, Spain

Martin-Moreno, PL:
 Clin Univ Navarra, Navarra Inst Hlth Res, Nephrol Dept, IdiSNA, Pamplona, Spain

Tagarro, EF:
 Complejo Hosp Univ Insular Materno Infantil Gran C, Nephrol Dept, Gran Canaria, Spain

Díaz, C:
 Hosp Santiago de Compostela, Nephrol Dept, Santiago De Compostela, Spain

Urcuyo, BM:
 Hosp Univ Doctor Jose Molina Orosa, Nephrol Dept, Lanzarote, Spain

Roncero, FMG:
 Hosp Univ Virgen Rocio, UroNephrol Dept, Renal Transplant Unit, Seville, Spain
ISSN: 09020063





CLINICAL TRANSPLANTATION
Editorial
WILEY, 111 RIVER ST, HOBOKEN 07030-5774, NJ USA, Dinamarca
Tipo de documento: Article
Volumen: 40 Número: 3
Páginas:
WOS Id: 001708401400001
ID de PubMed: 41793258
imagen Green Submitted, hybrid

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