Late recurrence of lupus nephritis in a renal transplant recipient: response to mycophenolate mofetil

Clinically significant recurrence of lupus nephritis in the renal allograft is low, with an incidence of 1 to 3%, and usually occurs within the first 6 years after transplantation. We report an unusual case of a patient with end-stage renal disease caused by lupus nephritis who received a kidney transplant from a living relative; 13 years later, the patient had a severe recurrence of diffuse proliferative lupus nephritis. The patient relapsed after receiving intravenous cyclophosphamide therapy and had a partial response to oral mycophenolate mofetil. In this report we review the risk factors for the recurrence of the systemic lupus erythematosus in the kidney graft and the anti-lupus activity of mycophenolate mofetil.