Recurrence of lupus nephritis after kidney transplantation.
The frequency and outcome of recurrent lupus nephritis (RLN) among recipients of a kidney allograft vary among single-center reports. From the United Network for Organ Sharing files, we estimated the period prevalence and predictors of RLN in recipients who received a transplant between 1987 and 2006 and assessed the effects of RLN on allograft failure and recipients' survival. Among 6850 recipients of a kidney allograft with systemic lupus erythematosus, 167 recipients had RLN, 1770 experienced rejection, and 4913 control subjects did not experience rejection. The period prevalence of RLN was 2.44%. Non-Hispanic black race, female gender, and age <33 years each independently increased the odds of RLN. Graft failure occurred in 156 (93%) of those with RLN, 1517 (86%) of those with rejection, and 923 (19%) of control subjects without rejection. Although recipients with RLN had a fourfold greater risk for graft failure compared with control subjects without rejection, only 7% of graft failure episodes were attributable to RLN compared and 43% to rejection. During follow-up, 867 (13%) recipients died: 27 (16%) in the RLN group, 313 (18%) in the rejection group, and 527 (11%) in the control group. In summary, severe RLN is uncommon in recipients of a kidney allograft, but black recipients, female recipient, and younger recipients are at increased risk. Although RLN significantly increases the risk for graft failure, it contributes far less than rejection to its overall incidence; therefore, these findings should not keep patients with lupus from seeking a kidney transplant.
Contreras
Gabriel
G
Division of Nephrology, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, Florida 33136, USA. gcontrer@med.miami.edu
Mattiazzi
Adela
A
Guerra
Giselle
G
Ortega
Luis M
LM
Tozman
Elaine C
EC
Li
Hua
H
Tamariz
Leonardo
L
Carvalho
Cristiane
C
Kupin
Warren
W
Ladino
Marco
M
LeClercq
Baudouin
B
Jaraba
Isabel
I
Carvalho
Decio
D
Carles
Efrain
E
Roth
David
D
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D016030:Kidney Transplantation; D008181:Lupus Nephritis / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D044469:Racial Groups; D012008:Recurrence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous