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Updated: Jun 5, 2026
Murine Kidney Transplant Technique
Published on: October 20, 2015
[Early infections in children following renal transplantation]
Tahar Gargah1, Aymen Labessi, Mondher Ounissi
1Hopital Charles Nicolle, Tunis.
Insights
Early infections after pediatric renal transplantation are common, primarily urinary tract infections. Close monitoring is crucial to minimize complications and ensure favorable outcomes in these immunocompromised patients.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nephrology
- Transplantation Immunology
- Infectious Diseases in Children
Context:
- Infections pose significant risks for morbidity and mortality in pediatric renal transplant recipients.
- Patients undergoing renal transplantation have compromised immune systems due to end-stage renal disease and immunosuppressive therapy.
Purpose:
- To determine the incidence of early infectious complications after pediatric renal transplantation.
- To identify risk factors associated with these early infections.
Summary:
- A retrospective analysis of 37 pediatric renal transplant recipients (1992-2008) identified infectious complications.
- Urinary tract infections were most frequent (12 patients), often presenting with fever. Pneumonia and sepsis also occurred.
- Other infections included herpetic cheilitis and parvovirus infection. All cases had favorable outcomes without graft loss or mortality.
Impact:
- Early diagnosis of infections in pediatric renal transplant recipients can be challenging due to altered inflammatory responses.
- Vigilant surveillance for infections is essential to reduce morbidity and mortality in this vulnerable population.
Background:
Infections following renal transplantation in children are a major cause of severe morbidity and mortality. Surgery is complex and performed in a subject whose immunological mechanisms are impaired by end stage renal failure and immunosuppressive drugs.
Aim:
To evaluate the incidence and the risk factors of early infectious following renal transplantation in children.
Methods:
Infectious complications were retrospectively monitored in 37 children receiving renal transplantation at our center from 1992 to 2008.
Results:
Infectious complications identified were dominated by urinary tract infections occurred in 12 patients. The clinical symptomatology is dominated by fever and decrease in health. In 4 patients the urinary infection was asymptomatic. Three patients had pneumonia; the diagnosis was suspected clinically and confirmed by the chest radiography. Three other patients developed sepsis. In one of them, the etiology was a peritonitis related to dialysis catheter. Two transplant showed a herpetic cheilitis and one patient developed a parvovirus infection that evolved well after two transfusions. In all cases, the outcome was favourable with no deaths or impact on graft function.
Conclusion:
After renal transplantation, the disturbance of inflammatory reactions explains the often latent or delayed infectious process making early diagnosis difficult. It is imperative to monitor infectious to minimize morbidity and mortality.
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