Are the native kidneys responsible for erythrocytosis in renal allorecipients?

The development of erythrocytosis following renal transplantation has been reported to be caused by a number of factors. These include acute and chronic rejection, hydronephrosis and renal artery stenosis. In this study, seven patients were noted to have erythrocytosis with hematocrits ranging between 53.5 and 66%. Serum erythropoietin levels were elevated and ranged between 11 and 60 mU/ml with a mean of 31.9 mU/ml in six of seven patients. Selective catheterization of veins of native and transplanted kidneys in three patients revealed mean serum levels of 40.9 and 13.0 mU/ml, respectively. This suggests that excess erythropoietin is being produced from the diseased native kidneys. Bilateral nephrectomy in one patient cured erythrocytosis and dropped systemic levels of erythropoietin (EP) to 6.1 mU/ml. In four of the remaining five patients, hematocrits came down spontaneously to within normal over a 1- to 3-year period. Consequently, it appears that in a number of transplant patients the retained diseased kidneys, having lost all excretory and concentrating function, may remain capable of functioning as endocrine erythropoietin-producing organs.

The prognostic value of the eosinophil in acute renal allograft rejection.

A case report of marked peripheral blood eosinophilia and eosinophilic infiltration of a rejected renal allograft in a transplant recipient stimulated our review of the clinical course of 132 consecutive renal transplant recipients. A total of 187 acute rejections occurred in 112 patients. Diagnosis was made by renal biopsy in 124 cases. The percentage of eosinophils in the leukocyte differential of patients with irreversible rejection was 5.2 +/- 5.7 (mean +/- SD) versus that seen in patients with reversible rejection, 2.9 +/- 3.5 (P less than .05). The difference in the total eosinophil counts in each group was not statistically significant. Patients with peripheral blood eosinophil percentages greater than or equal to 4% had a 37.9% irreversible rejection rate, whereas those who had less than 4%, had a 22.4% loss rate (P less than .01). Six of seven patients with greater than or equal to 2% eosinophils in the inflammatory infiltrate of their renal allograft lost their kidney, whereas grafts with less than 2% eosinophils had a 36.8% loss rate (P less than .02). We conclude that the increased presence of eosinophils in the peripheral blood and/or renal allograft biopsy specimen is an adverse prognostic factor for acute rejection outcome.

Patient profile and effect of dietary therapy on post-transplant hyperlipidemia.

The effect of dietary therapy on the serum lipid profile was examined in 32 post-transplant patients. Patients were transplanted more than 4 months before the study and had stable renal function and no other condition affecting lipid metabolism. Serum lipid profiles were determined on two serum samples obtained after a 12-hour fast. Seventeen patients who had pre-transplant hyperlipidemia (HLP) had similar HLP after transplantation. Of the 14 patients with normal pre-transplant profiles, 9 remained normal and 5 developed HLP. Twelve patients with HLP received out-patient dietary therapy providing less than 500 mg of cholesterol, less than 35% of calories from fat, less than 50% of calories from carbohydrate, and a P:S ratio greater than 1. Maintenance calories were based on the Harris-Benedict standard except for 9 overweight patients who were given less. After 3 months of therapy, serum cholesterol and triglycerides decreased to normal in 8 of 9 patients in whom both were elevated before dietary treatment and were unchanged in one patient. In 3 patients who had normal triglyceride but elevated cholesterol levels before therapy, cholesterol decreased but remained above normal; triglyceride increased in one patient and remained normal in two. High-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) increased in all 12 patients and became normal in 11. Body weight fell in 11 of 12 patients receiving dietary therapy. Cholesterol, triglyceride, and HDL-C remained unchanged in 11 patients who did not undergo dietary treatment. Dietary therapy is a safe and effective way to treat post-transplant HLP.

Bacterial studies of leg ulcers.

--Bacteriologic studies of 30 chronic leg ulcers were studied in 18 adult patients before and after treatment with a local cleansing agent, Debrisan.--Results show that all ulcers, whether clinically inflamed or not, are secondarily infected.--The majority of ulcers grew more than 1 type of organism, up to 6 different types in 1 single ulcer.--The use of Debrisan reduces the types of organisms and colony counts in ulcers, allowing healthy granulation and epithelialization to proceed normally.--Control of infection reduces surrounding local edema and erythema.--By reducing types of organisms and colony counts in chronic leg ulcers successful skin grafting was readily achieved.

Erythrocytosis after renal allotransplantation: treatment by removal of the native kidneys.

A patient with end-stage renal disease had erythrocytosis after kidney transplantation, with a hematocrit level that ranged between 52 and 60%. Selective catheterization of venous blood from his native kidneys and the transplanted kidney revealed a threefold increase of erythropoietin activity in blood from his own kidney over systemic blood and blood from the transplanted kidney. Bilateral nephrectomy cured the condition. Postoperative hematocrit and erythropoietin levels were within normal limits.

Infectious complications in renal transplant recipients.

Infections complicated the course of 59 of 111 renal transplantations (53%) performed on 93 patients at the University of Maryland Hospital. Infections and resultant deaths were more common among the patients with cadaver transplants. The transplant wound and the urinary tract were the most common sites of infection, occurring in 33% and 24% respectively. Septicemia developed in 11 patients (10%), secondary to urinary tract infection in six and to surgical wound infection in three. Opportunistic viral, fungal, and actinomycotic infections occurred in ten patients (9%). A total of nine patients (8%) died as a result of infection. This experience with sepsis and mortality, substantially lower than previously reported, may have resulted from (1) rigorous screening and detailed histories of recipients and donors for infection at the time of transplantation, as well as bacteriologic and serologic studies; (2) discontinuation of azathioprine whenever the WBC fell to less than 5,000/cu mm; (3) aggressive surveillance and early management of infections; and (4) prompt removal of a nonviable kidney when detected by radionuclide scan and percutaneous renal biopsy.