scholarly journals Clinical predictors of incipient vertebral fractures and bone mineral density in kidney transplant patients

Author(s):  
Dilek Gogas Yavuz ◽  
Kadriye Aydin ◽  
tugce apaydin ◽  
Arzu Velioglu ◽  
Meral Mert ◽  
...  

Purpose: Kidney transplant recipients are prone to metabolic bone diseases and consequent fractures. This study aimed to evaluate the incidence of incipient vertebral fractures, osteopenia, osteoporosis, and the clinical factors associated with incipient vertebral fractures in a group of kidney transplant patients. Methods: Two hundred sixty-four patients (F/M:124/140, 45.3±13 years) who had undergone kidney transplantation between 2008 and 2018 and who were followed up at least one year in third care centers were included in this multicenter retrospective study. Bone mineral densitometry was performed using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Vertebral fractures were assessed semi-quantitatively using conventional thoracolumbar lateral radiography in 202 of the patients. Results: Vertebral fractures were observed in 56.4% (n=114) of the study group. Severe vertebral fractures were observed in 30.7% (n=62) of the patients in vertebral X-ray evaluation. The frequency of osteoporosis was 20.0% (53 of 264 patients), and osteopenia was 35.6% (94 of 264 patients). BMD levels were in the normal range in 40.3% (n=46) of the subjects with vertebral fractures. It was in the osteoporotic range in 20.1% (n=23) and the osteopenic range in 40.3% (n=46). Serum calcium, parathormone vitamin, and creatinine levels were similar between the patients with and without vertebral fractures. Femoral neck BMD was negatively correlated with age (r: −0.21, p<0.001) and positively correlated with body mass index (r:0.29, p<0.001). Vertebral fractures were associated with age, duration of hemodialysis, BMI, femoral neck Z score (R2: 37.8%, p=0.027). Conclusion: BMD was in the normal or osteopenic range in 79.8% in our cohort of renal transplant patients with incipient vertebral fractures. As incipient vertebral fractures can be observed in patients with normal BMD levels in kidney transplant recipients, conventional X-ray screening for vertebral fractures may be beneficial for a proper therapy decision of metabolic bone disease in kidney transplant recipients.

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 253-263
Author(s):  
Het Patel ◽  
Nikhil Agrawal ◽  
Voravech Nissaisorakarn ◽  
Ridhi Gupta ◽  
Francesca Cardarelli

Malignancy is the third major cause of death among transplant recipients. Patient and kidney transplant outcomes after the diagnosis of malignancy are not well described. We reviewed incidences and outcomes of colorectal, lung, PTLD, and renal malignancy after transplant among patients who received a transplant from January 2000 to December 2018 using the UNOS/OPTN database. Incidence of each malignancy was measured at 5 years and 10 years of transplant. The Kaplan–Meier curve was used for time-to-event analysis (graft and patient outcomes). Additionally, we sought to identify the causes of graft failure among these recipients. We found that 12,764 (5.5%) patients suffered malignancy, excluding squamous and basal cell skin carcinoma after transplant. During the first 5 years of transplant, incidence of colorectal, lung, PTLD, and renal malignancies was 2.99, 9.21, 15.61, and 8.55 per 10,000 person-years, respectively. Rates of graft failure were 10.3%, 7.6%, 19.9%, and 18.8%, respectively, among these patients at 5 years. Mortality rate was highest among patients who suffered lung malignancy (84%), followed by colorectal (61.5%), PTLD (49.1%), and renal (35.5%) at 5 years after diagnosis of malignancy. In conclusion, kidney transplant recipients diagnosed with lung malignancy have the lowest graft survival, compared to PTLD, colorectal, and renal malignancy. PTLD has the highest incidence rate in the first 5 years of transplant.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 291-293
Author(s):  
Ryan J. Winstead ◽  
Johanna Christensen ◽  
Sara Sterling ◽  
Megan Morales ◽  
Dhiren Kumar ◽  
...  

Information regarding Coronavirus disease 2019 in the transplant population is lacking. Recently it has been suggested that cycle threshold values obtained on polymerase chain reaction tests may serve as a marker of disease severity with lower values (i.e., higher viral load) being associated with higher mortality. This study was done to assess the impact of remdesivir use on the time to a negative COVID-19 PCR as well as the degree of change between two Ct’s based on treatment. A total of 30 kidney transplant patients with a new diagnosis of COVID-19 were assessed. Serial PCR results were followed from the time of diagnosis then every 2–4 weeks until negative. In patients who received remdesivir immediately after COVID-19 confirmation compared to no remdesivir, time to negative PCR was not statistically different with a median duration of 57 days in both groups (p = 0.369). The change in the Ct between the first and the second PCR test was also not statistically different between groups with a median change of 18.4 cycles in the remdesivir group and 15.7 cycles without remdesivir (p = 0.516). The results of this small single-center analysis suggest that remdesivir may not be beneficial in shortening time to a negative COVID-19 PCR.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 2986 ◽  
Author(s):  
Smaragdi Marinaki ◽  
Stathis Tsiakas ◽  
Maria Korogiannou ◽  
Konstantinos Grigorakos ◽  
Vassilios Papalois ◽  
...  

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has posed a significant challenge to physicians and healthcare systems worldwide. Evidence about kidney transplant (KTx) recipients is still limited. A systematic literature review was performed. We included 63 articles published from 1 January until 7 July 2020, reporting on 420 adult KTx recipients with confirmed COVID-19. The mean age of patients was 55 ± 15 years. There was a male predominance (67%). The majority (74%) were deceased donor recipients, and 23% were recently transplanted (<1 year). Most patients (88%) had at least one comorbidity, 29% had two, and 18% three. Ninety-three percent of cases were hospitalized. Among them, 30% were admitted to the intensive care unit, 45% developed acute respiratory distress syndrome, and 44% had acute kidney injury with 23% needing renal replacement therapy. From the hospitalized patients a total of 22% died, 59% were discharged, and 19% were still in hospital at the time of publication. Immunosuppression was reduced in 27%, discontinued in 31%, and remained unchanged in 5%. Hydroxychloroquine was administered to 78% of patients, antibiotics to 73%, and antivirals to 30% while 25% received corticosteroid boluses, 28% received anti-interleukin agents, and 8% were given immunoglobulin. The main finding of our analysis was that the incidence of COVID-19 among kidney transplant patients is not particularly high, but when they do get infected, this is related to significant morbidity and mortality.


2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Axel Cayetano-Alcaraz ◽  
Juan Sebastian Rodriguez-Alvarez ◽  
Mario Vilatobá-Chapa ◽  
Josefina Alberú-Gómez ◽  
Bernardo Gabilondo-Pliego ◽  
...  

Introduction: Ureteral stricture (US) in the kidney transplant recipient is a rare complication that can lead to morbidity and graft loss. Risk factor recognition is crucial in the prevention and management of this entity. Delayed graft function (DGF), as defined by the need for dialysis in the first week after transplantation, has been proposed as a risk factor in previous studies. Our objective is to determine the impact of DGF in US development in kidney transplant patients. Methods: We designed a matched case-control study. US cases in kidney transplant recipients were identified in the 2008–2017 period. We defined US as the rise in serum creatinine associated with findings suggesting obstruction in ultrasound, scintigraphy, or retrograde pyelogram; any other cause of graft dysfunction was excluded. Controls were defined as kidney transplant recipients from the same population and period without US, matched in a 1:2 fashion by age, sex, and donor type. Results: From 532 kidney transplant patients, 31 cases and 62 controls were included. Cumulative US incidence was 58 per 1000 cases. When calculating for odds ratio (OR), post-operative urinoma (OR 3.2; 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.36–4.37) and ureteral duplication (OR 3.29; 95% CI 2.40–4.51) were associated with an increased risk for US, while DGF was not found to be statistically significant as a risk factor (OR 3.3; 95% CI 0.96–11.52). No statistically significant differences were found between groups in other pre- and post-transplant-related factors. Conclusions: DGF was not associated with US in our cohort; however, ureteral duplication and postoperative urinoma were associated with an increased risk of graft ureteral stenosis development.


2013 ◽  
Vol 59 (12) ◽  
pp. 1761-1769 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-Baptiste Woillard ◽  
Nassim Kamar ◽  
Sandra Coste ◽  
Lionel Rostaing ◽  
Pierre Marquet ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND Recent studies have identified new candidate polymorphisms in the genes related to CYP3A activity or calcineurin inhibitor dose requirements in kidney transplant recipients. These genes and polymorphisms are CYP3A4 (cytochrome P450, family 3, subfamily A, polypeptide 4) (rs35599367-C&gt;T; *22); POR [P450 (cytochrome) oxidoreductase] (rs1057868-C&gt;T; *28); and PPARA (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha) (rs4253728-G&gt;A). We investigated the impact of these polymorphisms on sirolimus (SRL) in vitro hepatic metabolism, SRL trough concentrations (C0), and SRL adverse events in kidney transplant recipients. METHODS The clinical study included 113 stable kidney transplant patients switched from a calcineurin inhibitor to SRL (SRL C0 measured at 1, 3, and 6 months thereafter). We investigated SRL metabolism in vitro using human liver microsomes derived from individual donors (n = 31). Microsomes and patients were genotyped by use of Taqman® allelic discrimination assays. The effects of polymorphisms and covariates were studied using multilinear regression imbedded in linear mixed-effect models or logistic regressions. RESULTS In vitro, the CYP3A4*22 allele resulted in approximately 20% lower metabolic rates of SRL (P = 0.0411). No significant association was found between CYP3A4, CYP3A5, or PPARA genotypes and SRL dose, C0, or C0/dose in kidney transplant patients. POR*28 was associated with a minor but significant decrease in SRL log-transformed C0 [CT/TT vs CC, β = −0.15 (0.05); P = 0.0197] but this did not have any impact on the dose administered, which limited the relevance of the finding. After adjustment for nongenetic covariates and correction for false discovery finding, none of the single-nucleotide polymorphisms tested showed significant association with SRL adverse events. CONCLUSIONS These recently described polymorphisms do not seem to substantially influence the pharmacokinetics of SRL or the occurrence of SRL adverse events in kidney transplant recipients.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosario B Jaime-Lara ◽  
Abhrarup Abe Roy ◽  
Yupeng Wang ◽  
Ansley Stanfill ◽  
Ann K Cashion ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Obesity is common among kidney transplant recipients; However biological mediators of obesity are not well understood in this population. Because subcutaneous adipose tissue can be easily obtained during kidney transplant surgery, it provides a unique avenue for studying the mechanisms of obesity for this group. Although differential gene expression patterns were previously profiled for kidney transplant patients, gene co-expression patterns can shed light on gene modules not yet explored on the coordinative behaviors of gene transcription in biological and disease processes from a systems perspective. Methods In this study, we collected 29 demographic and clinical variables and matching microarray expression data for 26 kidney transplant patients. We conducted Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis (WGCNA) for 5,758 genes with the highest average expression levels and related gene co-expression to clinical traits. Results A total of 35 co-expression modules were detected, two of which showed associations with obesity-related traits, mainly at baseline. Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment was found for these two clinical trait-associated modules. One module consisting of 129 genes was enriched for a variety of processes, including cellular homeostasis and immune responses. The other module consisting of 36 genes was enriched for tissue development processes. Conclusions Our study generated gene co-expression modules associated with obesity-related traits in kidney transplant patients and provided new insights regarding the cellular biological processes underlying obesity in this population.


2019 ◽  
Vol 142 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anat Gafter-Gvili ◽  
Uzi Gafter

Posttransplantation anemia (PTA) is common among kidney transplant patients. Early PTA is usually defined as anemia which develops up to 6 months after transplantation, and late PTA is defined as anemia which develops after 6 months. There are multiple causes, with iron deficiency being the major contributor. The occurrence of late PTA has been associated with impaired graft function. Early PTA has been shown to be a predictor of late PTA. PTA is associated with reduced mortality, reduced graft survival, and a decline in GFR. The association with mortality is related to the severity of the anemia and to specific causes of anemia. Treatment of PTA should probably begin as soon as possible after kidney transplantation. The optimal target hemoglobin level in kidney transplant recipients with anemia is higher than recommended in chronic kidney disease and should probably be up to 12.5–13 g/dL. In order to achieve this target, appropriate treatment with erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESA) and iron is indicated.


2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (Supplement_3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Orsolya Cseprekal ◽  
Adrienn Marton ◽  
Szilárd Török ◽  
Attila Patonai ◽  
Katalin Földes ◽  
...  

Abstract Background and Aims Stable kidney transplant patients (KTX) treated according to TRANSFORM study protocol (TAC-IR + everolimus (EVR) + corticosteroid) were converted from twice daily TAC-IR to novel (MELT-dose) once-daily tacrolimus formulation (LCPT) on a 1:0.7 total daily dose (TDD) basis. Tolerability, safety, and trough level (Co) – TDD characteristics of the conversion (CV) was analyzed in a single center retrospective observational study. Method Between Sep. 2017 and Aug. 2018 38 KTX recipients were included. Pre- and post-CV TAC TDD, Co and TAC Co/D as well as EVR TDD and Co data were evaluated 4, 2 weeks before and 4 consecutive times after CV (94 (74-112 median IQR) post-transplant days). Pre- and post-CV eGFR, routine lab parameters and occurrence of adverse events were also investigated. Results In one patient 2 weeks after CV EVR was stopped due to infection, 37 KTX (males 22 (58%), age 54 (42-63) years) finished the entire observational period. According to CV protocol the median TDD of LCPT was lower than pre-CV TAC-IR at each visit: 4.5(3.5-7) mg/day pre-CV versus 3.5 (2.5-5), 3.6 (2.5-5), 3.5 (2.5-5) and 3.5 (2-5) (p&lt;0.001) post-CV. Mean TAC Co decreased from pre-CV Co 7.8 (6.4-9.5) ng/ml to 6.7 (4.8, 8.6), 7.0 (5.2, 9.6), 6.5 (5.7, 8.4) and 7.2 (5.4, 8.7) (p&lt;0.001). LCPT Co /TDD did not change: 1.6 (1.1-2.5) pre- and 2.1 (1.1- 2.9), 2.1 (1.1- 4.1), 1.6 (1.3- 3.5), 2.0 (1.4-4.1) (p = 0.18) post-CV. EVR Co /TDD (1.6 (1.3-2.1), 1.6 (1.3; 2.3), 1.6 (1.3-2.0), 1.6 (1.2-2.2)) remained similar to pre-CV: 1.6 (1.4- 2.4) (p = 0.65). There was no change in eGFR, hemoglobin levels and no drug related adverse event was observed during the study period. Conclusion Conversion from TAC-IR to LCPT in everolimus treated stable KTX recipients resulted in a significant post-CV decrease in TAC- Co, whilst Co/TDD remained unchanged. The conversion was safe and had no effect on EVR Co and TDD. Further investigations are needed to define optimal TAC-IR to LCPT conversion dose rate.


2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 56-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Flávio Geraldo Rezende Freitas ◽  
Fábio Lombardi ◽  
Eduardo Souza Pacheco ◽  
Tainá Veras de Sandes-Freitas ◽  
Laila Almeida Viana ◽  
...  

Introduction: There is a paucity of data regarding the complications in kidney transplant patients who may require intensive care unit (ICU) management, despite being the most common solid organ transplant worldwide. Objective: To identify the main reasons for ICU admission and to determine the factors associated with hospital mortality in kidney transplant recipients. Design: This single-center retrospective cohort study was conducted between September 2013 and June 2014, including all consecutive kidney transplant patients requiring ICU admission. We collected data on patient demographics, transplant characteristics, clinical data, and prognostic scores. The independent determinants of hospital mortality were identified by multiple logistic regression analysis. We also assessed the performance of Simplified Acute Physiology Score 3 (SAPS 3) and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) scores. Results: We analyzed data from 413 patients, the majority of whom were admitted late after renal transplantation (1169 days; 63-3003 days). The main reason for admission was sepsis (33.2%), followed by cardiovascular disease (16%). Age (odds ratio [OR] 1.05, confidence interval [CI], 1.01-1.09), SAPS 3 score (OR 1.04, CI, 1.01-1.08), the need for mechanical ventilation (OR 26.47, CI, 10.30-68.08), and vasopressor use (OR 3.34, CI, 1.37-8.13) were independently associated with hospital mortality. The performance of SAPS 3 and APACHE II scores was poor in this population and overestimated the mortality rates. Conclusion: Sepsis was the main reason for ICU admission in kidney transplant recipients, followed by cardiovascular disease. Age and disease severity were associated with hospital mortality.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Ahn ◽  
Joanna Schaenman ◽  
Zachary Qian ◽  
Harry Pickering ◽  
Victoria Groysberg ◽  
...  

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) viremia continues to cause significant morbidity and mortality in kidney transplant patients with clinical complications including organ rejection and death. Whole blood gene expression dynamics in CMV viremic patients from onset of DNAemia through convalescence has not been well studied to date in humans. To evaluate how CMV infection impacts whole blood leukocyte gene expression over time, we evaluated a matched cohort of 62 kidney transplant recipients with and without CMV DNAemia using blood samples collected at multiple time points during the 12-month period after transplant. While transcriptomic differences were minimal at baseline between DNAemic and non-DNAemic patients, hundreds of genes were differentially expressed at the long-term timepoint, including genes enriching for pathways important for macrophages, interferon, and IL-8 signaling. Amongst patients with CMV DNAemia, the greatest amount of transcriptomic change occurred between baseline and 1-week post-DNAemia, with increase in pathways for interferon signaling and cytotoxic T cell function. Time-course gene set analysis of these differentially expressed genes revealed that most of the enriched pathways had a significant time-trend. While many pathways that were significantly down- or upregulated at 1 week returned to baseline-like levels, we noted that several pathways important in adaptive and innate cell function remained upregulated at the long-term timepoint after resolution of CMV DNAemia. Differential expression analysis and time-course gene set analysis revealed the dynamics of genes and pathways involved in the immune response to CMV DNAemia in kidney transplant patients. Understanding transcriptional changes caused by CMV DNAemia may identify the mechanism behind patient vulnerability to CMV reactivation and increased risk of rejection in transplant recipients and suggest protective strategies to counter the negative immunologic impact of CMV. These findings provide a framework to identify immune correlates for risk assessment and guiding need for extending antiviral prophylaxis.


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