Living Kidney Donation From a Donor With Pulmonary Sarcoidosis: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

BACKGROUND:Sarcoidosis is a chronic systemic disease that is characterized by the formation of noncaseating granuloma and whose etiology is unclear. It is unclear whether patients with sarcoidosis are suitable organ donors. CASE:We treated a 56-year-old woman with pulmonary sarcoidosis who donated her kidney. She was previously in good health and was diagnosed with pulmonary sarcoidosis during her preoperative examination. Because she presented with no symptoms and was otherwise in good condition, donor nephrectomy was performed. RESULTS:Baseline biopsy examination showed no evidence of sarcoidosis. One year after transplantation, both the donor and the recipient had not developed kidney dysfunction or recurrence of sarcoidosis. CONCLUSION:This is a rare case in which a patient with pulmonary sarcoidosis donated a kidney for transplantation, and both the recipient and the donor were clinically healthy. A patient with sarcoidosis and no kidney lesion can donate a living kidney, because transplantation appears to be safe for both the recipient and the donor.