Renal allograft calcification -- prevalence and etiology in pediatric patients.
BACKGROUND
Calcification of renal allografts has been reported in adult kidney transplant (KTx) recipients with a widely differing prevalence (2-60%). Persistent hyperparathyroidism, hypercalcemia and concomitant hypercalciuria were identified as major risk factors. We aimed to determine the prevalence and risk factors for such calcifications in children.


METHODS
We investigated histological stains of routine graft biopsies from pediatric KTx patients for renal calcifications and determined the urinary excretion of lithogenic (oxalate, calcium) and stone-inhibitory substances (citrate).


RESULTS
In our series of transplant patients, tubular calcification was found in 16 of the 36 (44.4%) KTx biopsies by an additional Kossa stain. This transplant calcification was not associated with any singular risk factor and was not correlated to a worse transplant outcome.


CONCLUSIONS
Although our pediatric findings confirm the reported incidence rates of KTx calcification in adults, we could neither identify hypercalciuria as a risk factor nor confirm any negative influence on graft function. However, long-term studies are clearly needed to prove or disprove a negative impact of calcifications on graft function.
Habbig
Sandra
S
Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Nephrology, University Hospital, Cologne, Germany.
Beck
Bodo B
BB
Feldkötter
Markus
M
Körber
Friederike
F
Laffeber
Charlie
C
Verkoelen
Carl
C
Mihatsch
Michael J
MJ
Hoppe
Bernd
B
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016030:Kidney Transplantation; D008297:Male; D009397:Nephrocalcinosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D055815:Young Adult