Is There an Age Limit for Kidney Transplant or Kidney Donation?
If you are thinking about donating a kidney or having a kidney transplant, you may be wondering how your age affects your eligibility. Here’s what you need to know about age limits for kidney donors and transplant recipients.
What Are the Age Limits for Kidney Donation?
When it comes to age and kidney donation, every center has its own guidelines and requirements. Following are some basic age guidelines for kidney donors.
Is there a minimum age for kidney donation? You must be at least 18 to donate a kidney, but many centers require the donor to be at least 21 to 25 years old, while some will allow donation to a relative at 21 but require that the donor be 25 to donate to a stranger.
In general, if you are at least 18 you should be able to find a transplant center willing to accept you as a donor, provided you are healthy and not disqualified for any other reason, but if you are under 21 you may need to research several centers to find one that will allow you to donate.
What is the maximum age for kidney donation? There is no maximum age limit to donate a kidney. Provided they are healthy, people can become donors into their late 70s, and there have even been several cases of living donors in their 80s, and at least one in their early 90s.
A 2011 study by Johns Hopkins Medicine found that kidney transplants performed using organs from living donors over age 70 are safe for both the donors and the recipients.
According to the latest data from the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN), which tracks every organ donation and transplant in the U.S., 2.6% of all living kidney donors to date have been over 65, while 23.1% have been between the ages of 50 and 64. Transplant centers are getting better at evaluating older potential donors based on their health rather than solely their age. In 2024, 6.8% of all living kidney donors were over 65, and 29.2% were aged 50–64.
However, if you are over 60 or 70, it does tend to be more difficult to be accepted as a donor. In fact, some older donors, like 72-year-old Sander Orent, have had to contact several centers before finding one that would consider them.
If you are an older potential living kidney donor, the best approach is to register as a donor through the National Kidney Registry. Your transplant center team will perform a comprehensive assessment to determine if you are a suitable candidate for living kidney donation. If one center turns you down based only on your age, don’t let it stop you. If you are otherwise healthy and determined to donate, try a different center.
What Are the Age Limits for a Kidney Transplant?
The age limit for receiving a kidney transplant can vary depending on several factors, including the policies of the transplant center, the overall health of the individual, and whether the potential benefits of a kidney transplant outweigh any risks related to the procedure.
Is there a minimum age for a kidney transplant? There is no official minimum age requirement to receive a kidney transplant. Every year, an estimated one out of every 65,000 children has kidney failure and needs a kidney transplant.
Most pediatric kidney transplant recipients are aged 11–17, but transplants have been performed successfully on babies as young as 1 year old and as small as 22 pounds. Children that young must use a kidney from a deceased pediatric donor, but children aged 2 and older can receive an adult-sized kidney as long as it fits in their body.
According to the OPTN, .02% of kidney transplants to date have been in babies under 1 year old and .92% have been in children aged 1–5.
What is the maximum age for a kidney transplant? While there is no specific upper age limit for kidney transplantation, older patients may face additional evaluations before being approved for the procedure.
Transplant centers may consider factors such as the individual’s physical fitness, existing medical conditions, the risk of complications, required post-transplant medical management, and life expectancy. Older kidney patients may be ruled out for a transplant for reasons besides age, such as overall health, active or recurrent cancer, an active or uncontrolled infection, or severe health issues such as heart disease, diabetes, or high blood pressure.
According to the latest data from OPTN, 15.6% of all kidney transplant recipients to date have been over 65, while 36% have been between the ages of 50 and 64.
If you are an older kidney patient, you can register with the National Kidney Registry to find a transplant center that will evaluate you as a potential kidney transplant recipient.