Possible persistent endocrine function of a rejected renal allograft.
The case is described of a patient on intermittent hemodialysis who had had a bilateral nephrectomy but had hypertension and a surprisingly mild degree of anemia. Repeated determinations showed high plasma renin activity and plasma erythropoietin activity within the detectable range. These results were thought to be related to a completely calcified renal allograft which had been inserted 8 years before and which had been rejected four years later, but left in situ. The patient had become anuric. It is suggested that chronically rejected renal allografts, even calcified, may maintain some endocrine activity in the absence of any excretory function.
D000328:Adult; D006084:Graft Rejection; D006801:Humans; D007668:Kidney / Q000378:metabolism*; D016030:Kidney Transplantation; D008297:Male; D012083:Renin / Q000378:metabolism*; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous
D012083:Renin