Primary disease effects and associations.

1. Although graft survival for most primary disease processes are similar at one year, significant divergence occurs by 5 years. ALP, IGA, and PC had the highest 5-year graft survival rates (72.8%, 71.2%, and 68.5%, respectively) whereas HTN and NS, the lowest (51.8% and 46.0%, respectively). 2. When primary diseases are grouped by pathogenic, pathophysiologic, and clinical similarities, the group of diseases with systemic manifestations had the lowest 5-year graft survival (55%), and the group including cystic and inherited diseases had the highest 5-year graft survival (69%). Black recipients had a predominance of "systemic" primary diseases (57%). 3. Despite having overall lower graft survival than Whites (p < 0.00001), there was no significant difference between Black and White 3-year graft survival for recipients with PC, ALP, IGA, and SLE. 4. PC recipients enjoyed excellent long-term graft survival (69%). Black recipients with PC had a 5-year graft survival rate of 64.6%. Recipients with PC had decreased posttransplant dialysis need, decreased early rejection rate, and better HLA matching than most other recipients. 5. Recipients with SLE as their primary disease had among the highest fraction of grafts lost to rejection (45.4% of all grafts lost) and the highest pretransplant sensitization rate (59.6%). 6. Recipients with HTN as their primary disease had overall lower 5-year graft survival (58% versus 63% in Whites, 44% versus 47% in Blacks), a lower rate of early allograft function (10% versus 12%, p < 0.00001), and more posttransplant dialysis needs (28.8% of patients requiring dialysis vs 23.5%, p < 0.00001) than recipients without HTN. Blacks with HTN had the lowest long-term graft survival (44.4%) of any other single group. 7. IDDM patients who expressed DR3 and/or DR4 alleles had significantly higher graft survival than patients without these DR groups. Whites expressing DR3 and DR4 and DR3 or DR4 alleles had better overall HLA matching (p < 0.001) and graft survival (75.4% and 70.7% versus 58.5% and 65.1%, p < 0.00001) than Blacks with similar DR expression. 8. SPK recipients had better 5-year graft survival than KAT recipients (66.2% versus 54.6%, p < 0.000001). This effect is most likely due to the selection of "better" lower-risk patients for SPK grafts.