RESUMO
INTRODUCTION: Donor-to-recipient gender match and mismatch may be a potential prognostic factor for living donor renal graft function. METHODS: A retrospective review of donor-to-recipient pairs undergoing living donor kidney transplantation was done. They were classified according to gender match as: male-to-male, female-to-female, male-to-female, and female-to-male. Serum creatinine was recorded during one year for donors and for up to four years for recipients. Renal function was evaluated by estimating the glomerular filtration rate with the Chronic Kidney Disease-Epidemiology Collaboration formula. A comparative statistical analysis was performed. RESULTS: The analysis included 217 donor-to-recipient pairs. No significant differences across the four groups in estimated glomerular filtration rate and serum creatinine at any cut-off time point except at day one serum creatinine were found. Recipients had a significant difference in serum creatinine up to the first year of follow-up, with higher values for male recipients; no significant differences were found during the second through fourth year of follow-up. A significant difference was observed in estimated glomerular filtration rate throughout all follow-ups among the four groups, favoring female recipients of male kidneys. CONCLUSIONS: Donor-recipient mismatch may have a deleterious effect over long-term graft function. Female recipients of male kidneys have the best prognosis.