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Updated: Feb 21, 2026
Mouse Kidney Transplantation: Models of Allograft Rejection
Published on: October 11, 2014
Intellectual performance of kidney transplant recipients' offspring: a cross-sectional, multicenter study
Luis Eduardo Morales-Buenrostro1, Josefina Alberu2, Eduardo Mancilla-Urrea3
1a Nephrology and Mineral Metabolism Department , Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán , Tlalpan , Mexico.
Insights
Pregnancy immunosuppression in kidney transplant recipients did not impact children's overall intelligence. However, some preschool children exposed in utero showed potential differences in visuospatial working memory.
Area of Science:
- Nephrology
- Pediatric Neurology
- Reproductive Medicine
Background:
- Increasing successful pregnancies in kidney transplant (KT) recipients.
- Limited data on long-term cognitive effects of in utero immunosuppression exposure.
Purpose of the Study:
- Evaluate the impact of maternal immunosuppression during pregnancy on the intellectual performance of children born to KT recipients.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study design.
- Recruitment of 50 exposed and 50 unexposed children (aged 4+) of KT recipients.
- Assessment of children's intellectual performance using Wechsler Intelligence Scales.
Main Results:
- No significant differences in full-scale IQ or most cognitive index/subscale scores between exposed and unexposed groups.
- Unexposed children completed the WPPSI Zoo locations subtest faster (p=0.007).
- Immunosuppression exposure was not a significant predictor of low IQ after adjustment.
Conclusions:
- Maternal immunosuppression therapy in KT recipients does not affect global intellectual performance in offspring.
- Potential subtle effects on visuospatial working memory may exist in preschool-aged children exposed in utero.
Objective:
The number of successful pregnancies in kidney transplant (KT) recipients has increased in recent years. Little evidence is available about the risk of in utero immunosuppressive exposure for long-term cognitive consequences. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of immunosuppression during pregnancy on intellectual performance of children born to KT recipients.
Methods:
Using a cross-sectional design, women who had undergone KT and their children (aged 4+ years) were recruited at the outpatient follow-up in five transplant centers. Women who did not receive immunosuppression during pregnancy with similar distributions of socioeconomic status and length of gestation and their children were also recruited. Children were assessed with Wechsler Intelligence Scales.
Results:
The study sample included 50 exposed and 50 unexposed children. No differences between groups in all the proposed confounding factors were found. Full-scale IQ did not differ significantly between both groups. Also, significant differences in any index or subscale score were not observed, with the exception of time required to complete the Wechsler preschool and primary scale of intelligence (WPPSI) Zoo locations subtest, which was done quicker in the unexposed group (p = .007). Exposure to immunosuppression during pregnancy was not a significant predictor of low IQ in logistic regression after adjustment for other factors.
Conclusions:
Immunosuppression therapy during pregnancy of KT women did not affect global intellectual performance of their offspring, except maybe for visuospatial working memory in preschool children.
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