Kidney Transplant Outcomes in Amyloidosis: US National Database Study.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to assess contemporary transplant outcomes among kidney recipients with amyloidosis, as the treatment and prognosis of amyloidosis have shown improvement over time. METHODS: Using the US Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network database, we initially evaluated the changes in patient and graft survival among kidney recipients with amyloidosis from 2002 to 2021. We then compared transplant outcomes between recipients with amyloidosis versus those with diabetic and nondiabetic causes of kidney failure, creating 1:4 matches with highly similar characteristics separately for deceased donor kidney transplant (DDKT) and living donor kidney transplant (LDKT) during the last decade (2012-2021). RESULTS: We identified 643 kidney recipients with amyloidosis during 2002-2021. Patient and death-censored graft survival improved over time. In the matching analysis for 207 DDKT and 166 LDKT recipients with amyloidosis during 2012-2021, patient survival was not significantly different between amyloidosis and diabetes groups in both DDKT (log-rank, P = 0.057) and LDKT (P = 0.99). Compared with the nondiabetes group, patient survival in the amyloidosis group was not significantly different for DDKTs (P = 0.56) but was significantly lower for LDKTs (P = 0.04). Death-censored graft failure risk was not significantly different between amyloidosis and diabetes or nondiabetes groups for both DDKTs (P = 0.78 and 0.75) and LDKTs (P = 0.40 and 0.24). CONCLUSIONS: In this well-matched cohort study, we found no significant differences in patient and graft survival between kidney recipients with amyloidosis and those with diabetes. Similarly, these outcomes were not significantly different between those with amyloidosis versus nondiabetic causes, except for patient survival of LDKT recipients.

Evaluation of In-patients with Iron Deficiency Anemia in terms of Etiology.

OBJECTIVES: In this study, we aimed to evaluate in-patients with iron deficiency anemia concerning etiology. METHODS: In our study, we retrospectively evaluated 150 in-patients (60 male and 90 female) with iron deficiency anemia in Sisli Etfal Hospital, Department of Internal Diseases between 2005 and 2010. Anemia was defined as Hb <12 g/dl for women and <13 g/dl for men and transferrin saturation ≤15%. RESULTS: In our study, 60 male and 90 female patients were included. Analyzing the etiology of iron deficiency anemia in 150 patients, we identified erosive gastritis in 35 (23.3%) patients, gastric cancer in 15 (10%) patients, colon polyps in 14 (9.3%) patients, erosive gastritis in 14 (9.3%) patients, myoma in 14 (9.3%) patients, diverticulosis in 13 (8.6%) patients, colon cancer in seven (4.6%) patients, menometrorrhagia in seven (4.6%) patients, malabsorption in six (4%) patients, hemorrhoids in six (4%) patients, celiac disease in four (2.6%) patients, bladder cancer in three (2%) patients, hematologic malignancy in three (2%) and other diseases (unexplained etiology) in 23 (15.3%) patients. CONCLUSION: When iron deficiency anemia is detected, it may be a warning of an underlying severe illness. Reasons for many cases arise from upper and lower gastrointestinal tract diseases. Endoscopic examinations are important for diagnosis. We suggest performing gastroscopy and colonoscopy together in patients with iron deficiency anemia.

Survival analysis of patients with Sjögren's syndrome in Turkey: a tertiary hospital-based study.

OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to determine long-term survival rates and the factors associated with mortality in Turkish primary Sjögren syndrome (pSS) patients. METHODS: All patients diagnosed with pSS between 2004 and 2014 were included in this study. By January 2019, all subjects still living by the end of the study, as well as any death, were identified. Survival rates and standard mortality rates (SMRs) using general population mortality data were calculated. Mortality-related factors were determined by univariate and multivariate analysis. RESULTS: During follow-up, 33 cases of 372 pSS patients resulted in death (8.9%). Of those patients, they were typically older at disease onset, at recruitment, and had shorter follow-up times (p < 0.001 for all). The overall SMR of all pSS patients compared with the general population was 2.11 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.39-2.83). Male pSS patients had a higher SMR than that of general male patients. Overall survival rates were 97.8% at five years, 90.2% at 10 years, and 87.1% at 15 years in patients with pSS. The survival rate of pSS patients was significantly lower than the general Turkish population (p = 0.011). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that older age at disease onset and the presence of interstitial lung disease (ILD) were independent risk factors for mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Based on these data, mortality rates of Turkish pSS patients are higher compared with the general population. Survival significantly decreased in the pSS patients with ILD, especially in older male patients at disease onset. Male gender and malignancy may also be associated with a worse prognosis in pSS patients.Key Point• Mortality in Sjögren's syndrome.