Dialysis treatment prior to transplantation may contribute to premature mortality and graft loss in kidney-transplanted patients. In this prevalent cohort study (TransQol-HU Study), we analyzed the association between pre-transplant dialysis duration versus mortality and death-censored graft loss in kidney-transplanted patients.

Data from 926 kidney-transplanted patients followed at a single outpatient transplant center were analyzed. Socio-demographic parameters, laboratory data, medical history, donor characteristics and information on co-morbidities were collected at baseline. Data on 5-year outcome (graft loss, mortality) were collected.

In multivariate analyses, pre-transplant dialysis duration was an independent risk factor for mortality (HR_{for each month increase} = 1.011; 95% CI: 1.005–1.016) and also for death-censored graft loss (HR_{for each month increase} = 1.008; 95% CI: 1.001–1.015) after adjustment for several co-variables. In the multivariate model, patients with less than 1 year (HR = 0.498; 95% CI: 0.302–0.820; P = 0.006) and 1–3 years (HR = 0.577; 95% CI: 0.371–0.899; P = 0.015) of pre-transplant dialysis had significantly better survival after transplantation compared to those with more than 3 years on dialysis.

These findings add further strength to existing evidence about the significant association between longer pre-transplant dialysis duration and poor outcome in kidney-transplanted patients.