Overview of Renal Transplantation for Primary Care Physicians: Workup, Complications, and Management

Kidney transplantation remains the treatment of choice for eligible patients with end-stage kidney disease. The last few decades have seen an expansion in the transplant recipient pool with over 250,000 patients living with a kidney transplant today. Because of limited bandwidth for ongoing follow-up and management of chronic medical conditions, transplant centers are directing more and more patients back to their general nephrologists and primary care doctors for longitudinal care. As a result, it is becoming increasingly important for primary care physicians to have a nuanced understanding of medications, complications, and chronic medical problems unique to transplant recipients. This article reviews the role of the primary care office in helping streamline the pretransplant evaluation process and long-term posttransplant care.