Outcomes of renal transplantation in patients with immunoglobulin A nephropathy in India.

BACKGROUND

There is a paucity of data on the course of renal transplant in patients with immunoglobulin A (IgA) nephropathy (IgAN) from India. While the natural history of IgAN in the Indian context is rapidly progressive, the post-transplant course remains speculative.

AIM

To study the graft survival in renal transplant recipients whose native kidney disease was IgAN and the incidence and correlates of recurrent disease.

SETTINGS AND DESIGNS

Retrospective case control study from a Nephrology unit of a large tertiary care center.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The outcomes of 56 transplant patients (58 grafts) with biopsy-proven IgAN and of 116 patients without IgAN or diabetic nephropathy, transplanted during the same period were analyzed. Correlates of biopsy-confirmed recurrent disease were determined.

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS

Means were analyzed by Student's t test and Mann-Whitney test; proportions were determined by Chi-square analysis and graft survival curves were generated using the Kaplan-Meier.

RESULTS

Five-year graft survival for IgA patients was not significantly different from that in the reference group (90% and 79%, P = 0.6). During a mean follow-up of 42 months (range, 1-144), 28 event graft biopsies were required in 20 grafts of IgAN. Histological recurrence was diagnosed in five of the 20 available biopsies (25%) after a mean duration of 28 months. Recurrence did not correlate with donor status, HLA B35 and A2, recipient age, gender or immunosuppression.

CONCLUSIONS

Renal transplantation is an appropriate treatment modality for IgA nephropathy patients with end-stage renal disease in India, despite the potential for recurrent disease. The posttransplant course is an indolent one when compared to the malignant pretransplant phase.