Prevalence, causes, and complications of acute kidney transplant rejection: survey in a single center

Backgrounds: Kidney transplantation has become a preferred surgical approach for several renal disorders. To acquire required information in basis of acute transplant rejection and its complications, it is important to determine rejection prevalence and its potential causes.Methods: In present retrospective study, during a 37-year survey, 2250 patients received conventional kidney transplantation. The patients who had suffered graft loss, death, and nephrectomy of transplanted kidney during the first month after transplantation enrolled the study and all required data recorded in designed questionnaire. Results: Of 2557 patients underwent kidney transplantation, 86 (3.36%) patients were suffered acute graft loss during the first month after transplantation, that 43 (50%) were males and 43 (50%) were females. Mean age of the patients with acute graft loss was 40.09±14.09. The most common underlying cause for acute graft loss in our study were as follows: acute rejection of transplanted kidney (34.9%), renal vein thrombosis (17.5%), heart infarction (13.9%), idiopathic (6.9%). Of 86 patients, thirty-three patients underwent nephrectomy subsequent to rejection, however, fifty-three patients well responded to medical treatment. In our study the amount of acute nephrectomy during the first month after transplantation was 38.4% (33 patients) which constituted 1.2% of the total graft losses.Conclusion: Renal vein thrombosis is the most common underlying reason for graft loss in kidney transplantation patients, and 1st week of the transplantation is the most probable postoperative time for graft rejection