Project description:We report a case of a kidney transplant recipient who presented with acute kidney injury and nephrotic-range proteinuria in a context of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Kidney biopsy revealed collapsing glomerulopathy. Droplet-based digital polymerase chain reaction did not detect the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the biopsy fragment, and the virus was barely detectable in plasma at the time of the biopsy. SARS-CoV-2 RNAemia peaked several days later, followed by a seroconversion despite the absence of circulating CD19-positive lymphocytes at admission due to rituximab-based treatment of antibody-mediated rejection 3 months earlier. Genotyping for the 2 risk alleles of the apolipoprotein L1 (APOL1) gene revealed that the donor carried the low-risk G0/G2 genotype. This case illustrates that coronavirus disease 2019 infection may promote a collapsing glomerulopathy in kidney allografts with a low-risk APOL1 genotype in the absence of detectable SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the kidney and that podocyte injury may precede SARS-CoV-2 RNAemia.
Project description:The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged the delivery of health services. Telehealth allows delivery of care without in-person contacts and minimizes the risk of vial transmission. We aimed to describe the perspectives of kidney transplant recipients on the benefits, challenges, and risks of telehealth. We conducted five online focus groups with 34 kidney transplant recipients who had experienced a telehealth appointment. Transcripts were thematically analyzed. We identified five themes: minimizing burden (convenient and easy, efficiency of appointments, reducing exposure to risk, limiting work disruptions, and alleviating financial burden); attuning to individual context (depending on stability of health, respect patient choice of care, and ensuring a conducive environment); protecting personal connection and trust (requires established rapport with clinicians, hampering honest conversations, diminished attentiveness without incidental interactions, reassurance of follow-up, and missed opportunity to share lived experience); empowerment and readiness (increased responsibility for self-management, confidence in physical assessment, mental preparedness, and forced independence); navigating technical challenges (interrupted communication, new and daunting technologies, and cognizant of patient digital literacy). Telehealth is convenient and minimizes time, financial, and overall treatment burden. Telehealth should ideally be available after the pandemic, be provided by a trusted nephrologist and supported with resources to help patients prepare for appointments.
Project description:To examine whether a higher body mass index (BMI) in kidney recipients is associated with delayed graft function (DGF), we analyzed data from 11,836 hemodialysis patients in the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients who underwent kidney transplantation. The patient cohort included women, blacks, and diabetics; the average age was 49 years; and the mean BMI was 26.8 kg/m(2). After adjusting for relevant covariates, multivariate logistic regression analyses found that one standard deviation increase in pretransplant BMI was associated with a higher risk of DGF (odds ratio (OR) 1.35). Compared with patients with a pretransplant BMI of 22-24.99 kg/m(2), overweight patients (BMI 25-29.99 kg/m(2)), mild obesity patients (BMI 30-34.99 kg/m(2)), and moderate-to-severe obesity patients (BMI 35 kg/m(2) and over) had a significantly higher risk of DGF, with ORs of 1.30, 1.42, and 2.18, respectively. Similar associations were found in all subgroups of patients. Hence, pretransplant overweight or obesity is associated with an incrementally higher risk of DGF.
Project description:INTRODUCTION:Certain ABO blood types have been linked to cardiovascular disease, infection and cancers. The effect of recipient ABO blood group on patient and graft survival has not been studied in ABO-matched kidney transplantation. This study aims to determine the association between kidney transplant recipient ABO blood groups with patient and graft survival in Australian and New Zealand. METHODS:All Australian and New Zealand transplant recipients who received ABO-compatible primary kidney transplants between 1995-2016 were analysed using a de-identified dataset from the Australia and New Zealand Dialysis and Transplant (ANZDATA) Registry. Primary analysis was undertaken of recipient ABO blood group O versus non-O blood groups. The primary outcome was patient survival post kidney transplantation and the secondary outcome was death censored graft survival. Recipient age at first transplant, gender, ethnicity, body mass index, smoking status, vascular disease, presence of diabetes mellitus, chronic lung disease, primary kidney disease, donor source, donor age and gender, and era of transplants were included in the multivariate model as confounders. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS:On analysis of 15,523 kidney transplant recipients, blood group O was not associated with patient survival (hazard ratio (HR) 0.96, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.89-1.04) nor death censored graft survival (HR 0.97, 95% CI 0.89-1.05) compared to non-blood group O recipients. Competing risks analyses showed an increased risk of cancer-related mortality in blood group O recipients on univariate analyses (HR 1.18, 95% CI 1.01-1.37) however, this became insignificant on multivariate analyses. On secondary analyses, recipient blood group AB (4.11% participants) was associated with inferior death censored graft survival compared to those with blood group O (HR 1.24, 95% CI 1.02-1.50). Although recipient ABO blood groups were not associated with patient nor graft survival, differences in cause-specific mortality between individual blood groups cannot be excluded based on current analyses.
Project description:Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia has been poorly reported in solid organ transplanted patients; prognosis is uncertain and best management unclear. We describe the case of a 61-year-old kidney transplant recipient with several comorbidities who was hospitalized and later received a diagnosis of COVID-19 pneumonia; the infection was successfully managed with the use of hydroxychloroquine and a single administration of tocilizumab, after immunosuppression reduction; the patient did not require mechanical ventilation. During the rapid spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic, transplant clinicians should be readily informed about new cases of COVID-19 pneumonia in solid organ transplant recipients, with focus on therapeutic strategies employed and their outcome.
Project description:To investigate racial and ethnic differences in graft and recipient survival in elderly kidney transplant recipients.Retrospective cohort.First-time, kidney-only transplant recipients aged 60 and older of age at transplantation transplanted between July 1996 and October 2010 (N = 44,013).United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) database.Time to graft failure and death obtained from the UNOS database and linkage to the Social Security Death Index. Neighborhood poverty from 2000 U.S. Census geographic data.Of the 44,013 recipients in the sample, 20% were black, 63% non-Hispanic white, 11% Hispanic, 5% Asian, and the rest "other racial groups." In adjusted Cox models, blacks were more likely than whites to experience graft failure (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.23, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.15-1.32), whereas Hispanics (HR = 0.77, 95% CI = 0.70-0.85) and Asians (HR = 0.70, 95% CI = 0.61-0.81) were less likely to experience graft failure. Blacks (HR = 0.84, 95% CI = 0.80-0.88), Hispanics (HR = 0.68, 95% CI = 0.64-0.72), and Asians (HR = 0.62, 95% CI = 0.57-0.68) were less likely than whites to die after renal transplantation.Elderly blacks are at greater risk of graft failure than white transplant recipients but survive longer after transplantation. Asians have the highest recipient and graft survival, followed by Hispanics. Further studies are needed to assess additional factors affecting graft and recipient survival in elderly adults and to investigate outcomes such as quality of life.
Project description:OBJECTIVE:Knowledge on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in liver transplant recipients is lacking, particularly in terms of severity of the disease. The aim of this study was to describe the demographic, baseline clinical characteristics and early outcomes of a European cohort of liver transplant recipients with SARS-CoV-2 infection. DESIGN:We conducted an international prospective study across Europe on liver transplant recipients with SARS-CoV-2 infection confirmed by microbiological assay during the first outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic. Baseline characteristics, clinical presentation, management of immunosuppressive therapy and outcomes were collected. RESULTS:57 patients were included (70% male, median (IQR) age at diagnosis 65 (57-70) years). 21 (37%), 32 (56%) and 21 (37%) patients had one cardiovascular disease, arterial hypertension and diabetes mellitus, respectively. The most common symptoms were fever (79%), cough (55%), dyspnoea (46%), fatigue or myalgia (56%) and GI symptoms (33%). Immunosuppression was reduced in 22 recipients (37%) and discontinued in 4 (7%). With this regard, no impact on outcome was observed. Forty-one (72%) subjects were hospitalised and 11 (19%) developed acute respiratory distress syndrome. Overall, we estimated a case fatality rate of 12% (95% CI 5% to 24%), which increased to 17% (95% CI 7% to 32%) among hospitalised patients. Five out of the seven patients who died had a history of cancer. CONCLUSION:In this European multicentre prospective study of liver transplant recipients, COVID-19 was associated with an overall and in-hospital fatality rate of 12% (95% CI 5% to 24%) and 17% (95% CI 7% to 32%), respectively. A history of cancer was more frequent in patients with poorer outcome.
Project description:Liver injury is common in patients with COVID-19, but little is known about its clinical presentation and severity in the context of liver transplant. We describe a case of COVID-19 in a patient who underwent transplant 3 years ago for hepatocellular carcinoma. The patient came to clinic with symptoms of respiratory disease; pharyngeal swabs for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 were positive. His disease progressed rapidly from mild to critical illness and was complicated by several nosocomial infections and multiorgan failure. Despite multiple invasive procedures and rescue therapies, he died from the disease. The management of COVID-19 in the posttransplant setting presents complex challenges, emphasizing the importance of strict prevention strategies.
Project description:BackgroundIn kidney transplantation, nonimmunologic donor-recipient (D-R) pairing is generally not given the same consideration as immunologic matching. The aim of this study was to determine how nonimmunologic D-R pairing relates to independent donor and recipient factors, and to immunologic HLA match for predicting graft loss.MethodsSeven D-R pairings (race, sex, age, weight, height, cytomegalovirus serostatus, and HLA match) were assessed for their association with the composite outcome of death or kidney graft loss using a Cox regression-based forward stepwise selection model. The best model for predicting graft loss (including nonimmunologic D-R pairings, independent D-R factors, and/or HLA match status) was determined using the Akaike Information Criterion.ResultsTwenty three thousand two hundred sixty two (29.9%) people in the derivation data set and 9892 (29.7%) in the validation data set developed the composite outcome of death or graft loss. A model that included both independent and D-R pairing variables best predicted graft loss. The c-indices for the derivation and validation models were 0.626 and 0.629, respectively. Size mismatch (MM) between donor and recipient (>30 kg [D < R} and >15 cm [D < R]) was associated with poor patient and graft survival even with 0 HLA MM, and conversely, an optimal D-R size pairing mitigated the risk of graft loss seen with 6 HLA MM.ConclusionsD-R pairing is valuable in predicting patient and graft outcomes after kidney transplant. D-R size matching could offset the benefit and harm seen with 0 and 6 HLA MM, respectively. This is a novel finding.
Project description:We report a case of disseminated histoplasmosis and COVID-19 infection in a renal transplant recipient in Argentina. The patient exhibited respiratory symptoms, and a chest computed tomography scan (CT) showed multiple bilateral centrilobular opacities with a tree-in-bud pattern in both lobes. The patient was initially treated as having bacterial community-acquired pneumonia, and then tuberculosis. A month later, histoplasmosis was diagnosed, and Histoplasma capsulatum LAmB clade was isolated from sputum, skin and oral lesions. The patient was hospitalized and treatment was started with intravenous liposomal amphotericin B. During the course of the antifungal therapy the respiratory symptoms worsened, a new chest CT showed a unilateral lesion with a ground glass appearance and SARS-CoV-2 was detected in a new nasopharyngeal sample. In addition, plasma therapy was administered, and the immunosuppressive regimen was adjusted (everolimus was interrupted, mycophenolate mofetil reduced, and meprednisone increased). Finally, the patient's progress was favorable and was discharged after five days on oral itraconazole treatment for histoplasmosis.