Risk of Renal Allograft Loss from Recurrent Glomerulonephritis

Recurrent glomerulonephritis after renal transplantation is a serious complication that can result in allograft loss. This study, based on data from the Australia and New Zealand Dialysis and Transplant Registry, determined the incidence and timing of risk factors for allograft loss due to recurrent glomerulonephritis in 1505 patients with biopsy-proved glomerulonephritis that had led to end-stage renal disease and primary transplantation. Allograft loss due to a recurrence of glomerulonephritis occurred in 52 recipients. Ten years after transplantation, recurrence was the third most frequent cause of allograft loss, after chronic rejection and death with a functioning renal transplant. Glomerulonephritis is the primary cause of end-stage renal disease in up to 50 percent of those who go on to receive a renal transplant. 1 Recurrence has been reported in 6.0 to 19.4 percent of renal-allograft recipients, and the prevalence increases with the duration of follow-up. 2 – 5 Those who have recurrence have a higher risk of allograft loss, with recurrence being reported as the cause of loss in 1.1 to 4.4 percent of transplant recipients. 2 – 4 , 6 As the rates of allograft survival improve, largely because of the prevention of loss due to acute rejection, the incidence of allograft loss due . . .