Tuberculosis in renal transplant recipients: Our decade long experience with an opportunistic invader.

AIM: To study the incidence, pattern of tuberculosis, Its risk factors, and prognosis in renal transplantation recipients in Indian population. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: This study retrospectively analyzed the patients who underwent renal transplantation at Ramaiah medical college Hospitals, India from 2004 to 2015. METHODS AND MATERIAL: The study enrolled 244 patients. Diagnosis was based on radio0imaging, sputum smear, culture and polymerase chainreaction and histology. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: A descriptive univariate analysis was performed to identify the individual risk factors. RESULTS: The TB infection was present in 21/244 (8.6%) renal transplantation patients (mean age ± SD = 44.3 ± 12.9 years). Pulmonary tuberculosis was the commonest (57%) followed by extrapulmonary tuberculosis (43%). Type II diabetes mellitus (DM) (14.6%; p = 0.0169)was significant risk factor. Majority of the patients (n = 18, 10.7%) were on standard tripledrug immunosuppression. The median duration of anti0tubercular therapy was 14 months and crude mortality was 19%. CONCLUSIONS: High index of suspicion for tuberculosis is require d in renal transplant recipients owing to their immunocompromised status and atypical presentations. Higher age, DM and use of immunosuppressants increase the risk for post0renal transplantation tuberculosis. Interactions between anti0tubercular drugs and immunosuppressants need to be considered in these patients.

Renal manifestations of dengue viral infection.

Dengue-related renal manifestations such as proteinuria, hematuria in the absence of thrombocytopenia, rhabdomyolysis, and acute kidney injury (AKI) are not uncommon. There is relatively sparse data on the renal manifestations of dengue viral infection (DVI). Hence, a retrospective study was conducted to investigate the incidence, characteristics, and clinical outcome of DVI with renal manifestations. A total of 2416 patients were admitted to our hospital with the diagnosis of dengue fever during the study period from 2012 to 2015. Data were collected from the electronic medical records and were analyzed retrospectively. The disease severity was classified according to the World Health Organization criteria. The renal manifestations were divided into AKI and non-AKI groups using AKI Network (AKIN) criteria. Proteinuria was defined as urinary protein >1+ (30 mg/dL) by dipstick test. A total of 218 patients were found to have proteinuria (9.56%). Most of the patients [135 (58.44%) with renal manifestations] were aged between 15 and 30 years. Comorbid conditions including diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and ischemic heart disease were seen in 10 (4.31%), 11 (4.76%), and six (2.59%) patients, respectively. Nephrotic-range proteinuria was seen in five patients (2.16%). AKI was seen in 82 patients (3.4%); 58 (70.73%) had AKIN-I, 19 (23.17%) had AKIN-II, and five patients (6.09%) had AKIN-III. Death occurred in 11 patients (39.28%) with AKI. The incidence of renal manifestations (proteinuria, hematuria, and AKI) is high at 9.59% among patients with dengue, and those with AKI had significant morbidity, mortality, longer hospital stay, and poor renal outcomes. Our findings suggest that AKI in dengue is likely to increase health-care burden that underscores the need for clinician's alertness to this highly morbid and potentially fatal complication for optimal prevention and management.

Emphysematous Pyelonephritis Case Series From South India.

INTRODUCTION: Emphysematous pyelonephritis (EPN) is a rare, life-threatening necrotizing infection of the kidney. The mortality rate for EPN is as high as 25%. We conducted a retrospective study at MS Ramaiah Hospital between January 2011 and May 2016 to observe the clinical, biochemical, and microbiological patterns of EPN at our institute. METHODS: The clinical and laboratory data, imaging findings, and microbiological patterns of 51 patients chosen for the study were recorded. The data were analyzed to identify the prognostic variables that could predict the morbidity and mortality of patients with EPN, and the focus of this study was to determine risk factors for and outcomes of patients who presented with EPN and who required hemodialysis. Primary endpoints were successful treatment and all-cause mortality. Secondary endpoints included need for hemodialysis and the need for a specific treatment. RESULTS: There was an equal incidence among both sexes (median age: 59 years). Common symptoms were abdominal pain (94.11%), fever (83.2%), dysuria (74.5%), vomiting (72.54%), frequency of micturition (68.62%), oliguria, generalized weakness (66.67%), and breathlessness (66.67%); 98.03% (n = 50) of the patients had diabetes. The most common organism cultured was Escherichia coli (37.2%). Nineteen patients (37.2%) required dialysis; their mean age was 60.25 ± 11.74 years. Male sex, diabetes mellitus, shock, high serum creatinine at presentation, and uremic symptoms showed no statistically significant association. Indefinite hemodialysis was required by 12.5% of patients. The antibiotic-treated group had a 100% success rate, whereas the Double J (DJ) stenting group (Double J stent, Biorad, India) had 96.42% success rate. CONCLUSION: Early diagnosis and broad spectrum antibiotics, together with an appropriately timed intervention, resulted in decreased mortality. Pain in the abdomen and renal angle tenderness were the most common clinical finding. E coli was the most found organism, and early use of broad spectrum antibiotics decreased mortality.

Renal transplantation in HIV-positive patients - No more a scare!

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection has posed as a major global health epidemic for almost three decades. With the advent of highly active antiretroviral therapy in 1996 and the application of prophylaxis and management of opportunistic infections, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome mortality has decreased markedly. The most aggressive HIV-related renal disease is end-stage renal disease due to HIV-associated nephropathy. Presence of HIV infection used to be viewed as a contraindication to renal transplantation for multiple reasons; concerns for exacerbation of an already immunocompromised state by administration of additional immunosuppressants; the use of a limited supply of donor organs with unknown long-term outcomes. Multiple studies have reported promising outcomes at three to five years after kidney transplantations in patients treated with highly active antiretroviral therapy, and HIV is no longer a contraindication for renal transplant. Hence, we present eight HIV-positive patients who received live-related renal transplantation at our center and their follow-up.

Impact of residual renal function on clinical outcome and quality of life in patients on peritoneal dialysis.

We studied the impact of residual renal function (RRF) on clinical outcome and quality of life in 61 patients on peritoneal dialysis (PD). They were assigned to two groups, at the time of initiation of PD, based on their estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). The high RRF group had eGFR ≥5 mL/min/1.73 m[2] and the low RRF group hade GFR <5 mL/min/1.73 m[2]. All patients were followed up at regular intervals for clinical and biochemical variables. Baselines characteristics including age, sex, body mass index and cause of the kidney disease were similar in both groups. The high RRF group had a higher rate of continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis discontinuation. The incidence of peritonitis was higher in the low RRF group. Other infections (cellulitis, gastroenteritis, sepsis) were more common in patients with low RRF, compared to the high RRF group. The quality of life as assessed by depression score, restless leg syndrome, and sleep quality were poor in patients with reduced RRF. We found that a high RRF at the time of initiation of PD, significantly decreased the incidence of infections, depression, better nutrition, and lower levels of alkaline phosphatase; providing indirect evidence of better renal clearance of phosphorous, in those with preserved RRF.

Non-invasive method for preventing intradialytic hypotension: A pilot study.

Intradialytic hypotension (IDH) is a life-threatening condition. We evaluated the feasibility of blood volume monitoring (BVM) and blood temperature monitoring (BTM) in preventing IDH in patients prone to the same. Fourteen hemodynamically unstable end-stage renal disease patients who were prone to IDH and unable to achieve dry weight were given BVM treatment twice weekly for two weeks. Forty patients who were not on BVM treatment served as controls. Patients were anemic, had low serum albumin (3.4 ± 0.43 g/dL) and fluid overload and were edematous. Of the 40 patients in the control group, 18 patients experienced IDH and dialysis had to be terminated. The incidence of IDH was 5% in the control group. In the BVM group, the total volume of fluid removed during hemodialysis was between 2.0 and 4.5 L (mean 3.2 L). By the end of dialysis, the hemo-concentration increased by 34.8%. With use of BVM and BTM, the blood pressure did not drop below 120/80 mm Hg, the dialysis sessions were uneventful and none of the patients suffered symptoms of hypotension. There was a difference of 3 kg between weight achieved and dry weight of the patient, although there was a 14.2% reduction in extracellular water (ECW), 14.5% in plasma fluid and 14.5% decrease in interstitial fluid. Blood volume significantly correlated with post-dialysis intracellular water (ICW) (r = 0.722, P = 0.008) and ECW/ICW ratio (r = 0.698, P = 0.012). There was a significant correlation between systolic blood pressure and ECW (r = 0.615, P = 0.033). Diastolic blood pressure significantly correlated with post-dialysis ECW (r = 0.690, P = 0.008), plasma fluid post-dialysis (r = 0.632, P = 0.027) and interstitial fluid (r = 0.604, P = 0.038). The ECW/ICW ratio was high (1.13 ± 0.48; control 0.74), implying overhydration and expanded extracellular fluid. BVM should be included in the dialysis protocol where patient compliance to maintenance hemodialysis is poor and patients are constantly in volume overload.