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Updated: Jun 14, 2025

Digital Home-Monitoring of Patients after Kidney Transplantation: The MACCS Platform
Published on: April 12, 2021
Bridging the Gap Between CKD Management Paradigms in Transplant and Nontransplant Settings: Published Evidence,
Inès Dufour1,2, Elliott Van Regemorter1,2, Nada Kanaan1,2
1Department of Nephrology, Cliniques universitaires Saint-Luc, Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium.
Insights
Kidney transplantation (KT) offers better survival than dialysis, but reduced kidney function post-KT is common. This review examines managing CKD complications in transplant patients and highlights research gaps for new therapies.
Area of Science:
- Nephrology
- Transplantation Immunology
- Clinical Medicine
Background:
- Kidney transplantation (KT) is the optimal treatment for end-stage renal disease, improving survival and quality of life over dialysis.
- Post-KT patients often experience reduced estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), leading to prevalent chronic kidney disease (CKD) complications.
- The mechanisms and management of CKD complications in KT recipients differ from non-transplant CKD populations, with limited evidence-based guidelines.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the challenges in managing reduced eGFR in kidney transplant recipients.
- To synthesize current evidence on managing CKD complications in the post-KT setting.
- To identify critical knowledge gaps regarding the application of novel CKD therapies in KT patients.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of studies on kidney transplantation and chronic kidney disease management.
- Analysis of evidence concerning the prevalence and mechanisms of CKD complications after KT.
- Evaluation of emerging therapies for CKD and their potential impact on KT outcomes.
Main Results:
- Reduced eGFR is a frequent complication after KT, contributing to significant morbidity.
- CKD complications in KT patients have unique pathophysiological aspects compared to non-transplant CKD.
- Evidence for using new CKD therapies in the post-KT population is largely lacking.
Conclusions:
- Managing reduced eGFR and associated CKD complications in KT recipients presents unique challenges.
- Further research is crucial to investigate the efficacy and safety of novel CKD therapies in the post-KT setting.
- Addressing knowledge gaps will optimize long-term outcomes for kidney transplant patients.
Abstract:
Kidney transplantation (KT) is the best treatment for patients with kidney failure, associated with improved survival and quality of life compared with maintenance dialysis. However, despite constant improvements in the assessment and management of the alloimmune response, KT patients frequently demonstrate a reduced estimated glomerular filtration rate. Therefore, the usual complications of chronic kidney disease (CKD), such as anemia, hypertension, metabolic acidosis, hyperkalemia, or persistent secondary hyperparathyroidism, are highly prevalent after KT. However, their underlying mechanisms are different in the transplant setting (compared with the nontransplanted CKD population), and management recommendations are based on relatively poor-quality data. In recent years, new therapies have emerged, significantly improving kidney and cardiovascular outcomes of non-KT patients with CKD. Whether those new drugs could improve the outcomes of KT patients has largely been under investigated so far. In this review, we will address the challenges of the management of a KT patient with a reduced estimated glomerular filtration rate, cover the published evidence, and highlight the critical knowledge gaps.
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