Kidney Transplant Recipients With Rheumatic Diseases: Epidemiological Data From the Polish Transplant Registries...

Area of Science:

• Nephrology
• Rheumatology
• Transplantation Immunology

Background:

• Chronic kidney disease (CKD) frequently complicates rheumatic disorders.
• Understanding the spectrum of rheumatic conditions leading to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) is crucial for transplant outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the incidence of various rheumatic diseases as primary causes of ESRD in kidney transplant recipients in Poland.
• To compare graft and recipient survival rates between patients with and without rheumatic diseases.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of data from the Polish national organ transplantation registry (Poltransplant) for 15,984 kidney transplant recipients between 1998 and 2015.
• Categorization of primary diagnoses leading to ESRD, focusing on rheumatic conditions.
• Statistical comparison of graft and recipient survival rates based on the presence of rheumatic diseases.

Main Results:

• Rheumatic diseases were the primary cause of ESRD in 5.14% of kidney transplant recipients.
• Systemic lupus erythematosus (1.92%) and vasculitis (1.60%) were the most common rheumatic causes.
• Graft survival at 1 and 5 years was significantly better in non-rheumatic (90%, 76%) versus rheumatic groups (87%, 72%; P=.04).
• Recipient survival at 5 years was significantly better in non-rheumatic (88%) versus rheumatic groups (84%; P=.02).

Conclusions:

• Systemic lupus erythematosus and systemic vasculitides are the leading rheumatic etiologies for ESRD in the Polish population requiring kidney transplantation.
• Kidney transplant recipients with rheumatic diseases exhibit poorer long-term graft and recipient survival compared to those without rheumatic conditions.