Skin diseases in kidney transplant recipients.
BACKGROUND
The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of skin diseases in kidney transplant recipients.


METHODS
This cross-sectional study was performed on 233 kidney transplant recipients in Ekbatan Hospital of Hamedan in 2004. The patients were examined by a dermatologist and diagnosis was made on the basis of clinical observations. Biopsies and scraping of the lesions were taken whenever necessary.


RESULTS
Of the patients, 226 (97%) suffered from one or more skin lesions. The most common lesions were drug related, including hypertrichosis, gingival hyperplasia, acne, and cushingoid feature which were detected in 86.7% of the patients. Also, infectious and premalignant or malignant lesions (actinic keratosis, squamous cell carcinoma, and basal cell carcinoma) were seen in 48.9% and 14.2% of the patients. The mean duration of immunosuppressive therapy was significantly higher in patients with infectious skin diseases (P < .001).


CONCLUSIONS
Skin lesions are a significant problem in kidney transplant recipients. A careful monitoring of these patients is recommended in order to detect these lesions in early stages and treat them.
Zamanian
Abbas
A
Department of Dermatology, Sina Hospital, Hamedan University of Medical Sciences, Hamedan, Iran. zamanian@umsha.ac.ir
Mahjub
Hossein
H
Mehralian
Azame
A