Transplant tourism outcome: a single center experience.
BACKGROUND
Transplant tourism is the term used for patients who travel abroad for transplantation. Transplant tourism has always been surrounded with controversy regarding how these organs were obtained, the donor's care after transplantation, and the recipient outcome. Many authors have found that the outcome of the recipients in transplant tourism is inferior to those transplanted in their own countries. However, most these studies were small, with the latest one including only 33 patients. Here, we describe the outcome of 93 patients who were transplanted abroad compared with local transplantation.


METHODS
All transplant patients who were followed up at our Nephrology Clinic from 1998 until 2008 were identified using our data base system. We selected patients transplanted from 2003 and forward because the computerized system for laboratory and electronic records began operation that year.


RESULTS
A total of 165 patients were identified (93 in the tourist group and 72 in the local one). Transplant tourists had a higher rate of acute rejection in the first year compared with local transplantation (27.9% vs. 9.9, P=0.005), higher mean creatinine at 6 months and 1 year (120 vs. 101 micromol/L, P=0.0007, 113 vs. 98 micromol/L, P=0.008). There was no statistical difference in graft or patient survival in 1 or 2 years after transplantation. However, transplant tourist had a higher rate of cytomegalovirus infection (15.1% vs. 5.6%, P=0.05) and hepatitis C seroconversion (7.5% vs. 0%, P=0.02).


CONCLUSIONS
Transplant tourists had a more complex posttransplantation course with higher incidence of acute rejection and infectious complications.
Alghamdi
Saad A
SA
Nephrology Section, Department of Medicine, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Nabi
Zahid G
ZG
Alkhafaji
Dania M
DM
Askandrani
Sumaya A
SA
Abdelsalam
Mohamed S
MS
Shukri
Mohamed M
MM
Eldali
Abdelmoneim M
AM
Adra
Chaker N
CN
Alkurbi
Lutfi A
LA
Albaqumi
Mamdouh N
MN
D000328:Adult; D003404:Creatinine / Q000097:blood; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology; D004534:Egypt; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000453:epidemiology; D006085:Graft Survival; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007165:Immunosuppression Therapy / Q000379:methods; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000401:mortality / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D057193:Medical Tourism / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010154:Pakistan; D010679:Philippines; D017582:Renal Replacement Therapy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012086:Reoperation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014019:Tissue Donors / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
D003404:Creatinine