Ocular complications in renal transplant patients

One hundred and seventy-six patients who received a renal transplant between 1982 and 1988 were examined for ocular complications of steroid therapy. Posterior subcapsular cataracts (PSC) were present in 60 patients (34.1%). Patients were classified into three groups (HS, LS, NoS) depending on their maintenance immunosuppression therapy. The HS group received high doses of steroids after renal transplantation. LS had low steroid doses, and NoS had no steroids. The incidence of PSC was 21 of 38 in HS (55.3%), 33 of 117 in LS (28.2%), and 1 of 16 in NoS (6.2%). The difference between HS and LS was statistically significant (chi 2 = 8.1, P < 0.01). Grading the severity of PSC (PSC 0, PSC +, PSC > ++) showed a significant correlation between the degree of PSC and the steroid therapy. In the HS group, five patients had PSC +, and 16 had PSC > ++ (76%), compared to 19 patients with PSC +, 14 patients with PSC > ++ (42%) in the LS group (chi 2 = 4.6; P < 0.05). There was no correlation between the incidence of PSC and use of steroids for more than three months before dialysis. Comparison with the results of our earlier series (1973-1981) using high doses of steroids showed a similar incidence of PSC with HS (40.7% Series 1; 55.3% Series 2) but a lower incidence with LS and NoS.