Anaemia is common after kidney transplantation, especially among African Americans.
BACKGROUND
Anaemia is a major cardiovascular risk factor in renal disease. It might be appropriate to extrapolate this association of anaemia with cardiovascular disease to renal transplant recipients who continue to have a significant cardiovascular risk. There are very few studies addressing the issue of anaemia after renal transplantation.


METHODS
We studied 192 consecutive kidney transplant recipients over a 5-year period in a tertiary referral centre in Michigan, USA. Patients who were followed up at the ambulatory transplant clinic for at least 1 year after transplantation were studied. Haemoglobin (Hb) level at 6 months and 1 year after renal transplantation was recorded. Risk factors for anaemia were evaluated using multivariate regression analysis.


RESULTS
Significant anaemia (Hb <11 g/dl in females and <12 g/dl in males) was common (19.3% at 6 months, 19.8% at 1 year). Anaemia was more common in African American (AA) than in non-AA patients both at 6 months and 1 year after transplantation. Multivariate analysis showed that serum creatinine was an independent risk factor for anaemia. Female gender was associated with significant anaemia at 1 year. Intriguingly, AA race was also an independent risk factor at 6 months and strong trend for risk at 1 year.


CONCLUSIONS
Anaemia is common during the first year after kidney transplantation. AA race as well as high serum creatinine and female gender are independent risk factors for post-transplant anaemia. The importance of anaemia as a risk factor in AA patients after renal transplantation should be more recognised.
Shibagaki
Yugo
Y
Department of Nephrology and Endocrinology Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-Ku, Tokyo 113-8655, Japan. eugo@wc4.so-net.ne.jp
Shetty
Anupkumar
A
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000368:Aged; D000740:Anemia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000209:etiology; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008297:Male; D008824:Michigan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors