Most of the transplant related deaths occur in people who are over the age of 55 or who have some other complicating medical factor, such as heart disease or diabetes. Another concern is whether or not the transplant will work. However, both living donor and cadaver transplants can function for many more years. Loss of function occurs most often during the first two years. Therefore, a transplanted kidney that is working well two years after a transplant is more likely to continue to function for long periods of time.
Research is continually under way to improve the transplant success rate.