[Incidence and characteristics of glomerular diseases after kidney transplant]

The incidence of glomerular diseases was retrospectively reviewed in our population of renal transplants performed during the period 1972-1988. Overall, 42 instances of post-transplant glomerular disease were observed in 39 patients. The most common type of glomerular disease was transplant glomerulopathy in 13 cases, followed by membranous glomerulonephritis in 8. Regarding etiology, relapse of the original nephropathy was considered to be present in 15 patients and de novo glomerular disease in the remaining 27. In our series, the incidence of clinical relapses was 12%, ranging between 75% in hemolytic-uremic syndrome and 8% in mesangiocapillary glomerulonephritis. 50% of those patients who developed glomerular disease after transplant had a loss of their grafts during the follow up period. The survival of the graft, from 6.5 years after transplant onwards, was significantly lower than that seen in the group of transplanted patients without glomerular disease.