Thrombophilia in Liver Donors: Prevalence of Protein C or S Deficiency in Korean Candidates and Decision Considerations.

Background: Donor thrombophilia poses risks to both donors and recipients. To address donor safety without unnecessarily decreasing the donor pool, we aimed to determine the incidence of protein C (PC) or protein S (PS) deficiency among living liver donor candidates and propose a decision-making algorithm for donation.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 1421 living donor candidates who underwent primary donor evaluation at a single center between January 2017 and February 2022. Donors with PC or PS deficiency were divided into severe (< 40%), moderate (40%-49%), and mild (50%-59%) deficiencies and near-normal (> 60%) groups based on functional activity levels. Demographic and clinical data, including genetic mutation testing, donation status, and postoperative outcomes of both donors and recipients, were analyzed.

Results: The incidence of PC and PS deficiency after the repeat testing was 0.4% (n = 6) and 1.7% (n = 24), respectively. One donor with severe PS deficiency had a PROS1 mutation, and two donors (one from the near-normal group and one from the mild group) had PROC mutations. None of the 16 donors experienced any thrombotic complications. Three recipients experienced thrombotic complications that were not directly associated with donor thrombophilia.

Conclusion: The incidences of PC and PS deficiencies among liver donors are significant and should not be overlooked. Each center should consider geographic and ethnic variations when establishing efficient thrombophilia evaluation protocols to ensure donor safety.