title: Renal outcome and evolution of disease activity in Chinese lupus patients after renal transplantation.
abstract: Lupus nephritis constitutes the major cause of morbidity and mortality in SLE. The long-term outcome of renal transplantation in lupus patients remains controversial, and the recurrence of lupus activity is a major concern. This study aims to determine the long-term outcome of renal transplantation in Chinese lupus patients and the evolution of lupus activity. A total of 23 lupus patients undergoing renal transplantation were enrolled and compared with 94 matched controls. The overall patient and graft survival rates at 10 years post-transplant in lupus group were not different from the control group (95.2% and 57.7% vs. 90.7% and 66.3%). Recurrence of lupus nephritis in renal allograft and flare-ups of lupus activity were not observed in this study. The SLE group had less acute rejection than the control group (20.4% vs. 29.8%, P<0.05). The infection rate between the two groups was similar (39.1% vs. 51.1%, P=0.427), although SLE group had a significantly higher rate of developing avascular necrosis (17.4% vs. 2.1%, P=0.04). In conclusion, patient and graft survival rates and other major complications in Chinese lupus patients are comparable to non-lupus transplant recipients caused by other diseases. Chinese patients with SLE are suitable candidates for renal transplantation.
authors.affiliation: Division of Nephrology, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, and Department of Internal Medicine, Chung-Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: T M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Y H
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Lan
authors.forename: C H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: C H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: K H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Shu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002681:China; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006084:Graft Rejection; D006085:Graft Survival; D006801:Humans; D007668:Kidney / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D016030:Kidney Transplantation; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery; D008181:Lupus Nephritis / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D012008:Recurrence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome