title: [Late complications following renal transplantation].
abstract: The number of renal transplant recipients is increasing steadily. Physicians from all specialties are ever more likely to encounter this vulnerable group of patients. They constitute a susceptible group because of increased mortality and morbidity. Half of the renal transplants are lost due to chronic transplant failure. The primary cause of chronic transplant failure is chronic allograft nephropathy. Other causes of transplant failure are calcineurin inhibitor toxicity, recurrence of the original renal disease such as glomerulonephritis and diabetes mellitus, stenosis of the renal artery in the transplant, and urological complications. The other half of the renal transplants are lost due to the death of the recipient. The primary cause of death is cardiovascular disease due to former chronic renal, hypertension and dyslipidemia following the use of immunosuppressants. In addition malignancies, infections and bone abnormalities do occur more frequently as compared to the normal populations. Alertness is warranted following kidney transplantation by both the patients themselves as well as all the treating specialists. Careful periodical monitoring for life is required because of the risk of the abovementioned complications.
authors.affiliation: Academisch Medisch Centrum/Universiteit van Amsterdam, afd. Inwendige Geneeskunde, onderafd. Nierziekten, Amsterdam. f.j.bemelman@amc.uva.nl
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Bemelman
authors.forename: R J M
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: ten Berge
mesh_terms: D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality; D005921:Glomerulonephritis / Q000401:mortality; D006084:Graft Rejection; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000401:mortality; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D012008:Recurrence; D012307:Risk Factors; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous; D017211:Treatment Failure
chemical_list: D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents