Recurrent renal allograft dysfunction due to ureteric stenosis in a patient with the BK virus infection

Diseases of the genitourinary tract in association with the BK virus (BKV) infec-tion are increasing among renal allograft recipients. We herewith report a young, female renal transplant recipient who presented with allograft dysfunction secondary to proximal ureteric stenosis. The allograft function improved dramatically after correction and stenting of the ste-nosis. Our case suggests that screening for BKV infection should be an integral part of evaluation of allograft dysfunction

Progressive pulmonary hypertension: Another criterion for expeditious renal transplantation

The aim of this retrospective study was to compare the prevalence of pulmonary hypertension in a cohort of patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) prior to and following renal transplantation and to identify the possible risk factors. Of the 425 renal transplantations performed between 2001 and 2007, Doppler echocardiographic findings were available in 124. The echocardiographic data, collected both pre- and post-transplant, included the pulmonary artery pressure (PAP), ejection fraction and left ventricular hypertrophy. The data analyzed included age, gender, hypertension, diabetes, smoking status, along with blood urea, creatinine, glomerular filtration rate, hemoglobin, hemodialysis duration, urine albumin, arterio-venous access and body mass index (BMI). Chi-square test was used for discrete variables and ANOVA was used for continuous variables. Of the patients studied, males comprised 72%; the mean age was 43.3 ± 13.02 years; 87% were hypertensive, 30% were diabetic and 4% were smokers. Statistical analysis revealed a significant reduction of the PAP, irrespective of its severity, following renal transplantation (P <0.05). The PAP had no significant correlation with any of the parameters analyzed, with the exception of BMI (P <0.05). Our study suggests that the PAP gets reduced in patients with ESRD after renal transplantation

Hand grip strength as a nutritional marker in pd and hemodialysis patients

This is a prospective study evaluating hand grip strength as a nutritional marker in maintenance dialysis patients. Thirty CAPD and 50 MHD patients were assessed for hand grip strength (in the non-fistula arm) and demographic variables. In the MHD, 60% diabetic and in PD 66.7% were diabetic. In the MHD patients, Mean Age - 53.62±12.45, 78% Males and 22% Females, Hb-9.7±1.1 g/dL and 3.86±2.83 years on dialysis and in PD patients, mean age - 58.6±11.52 , 63.3% males and 26.7% females, Hb – 10.5±1.4 g/dL and 3.33±2.6 mean years on dialysis. Hand Grip Strength was 11.58+3.7 kg pre-dialysis and 9.2+3.6 kg post dialysis in MHD and 10.8+2.9 kg in PD patients. We found that malnutrition was present in 90% of MHD (10% severe, 24% moderate, 56% mild) and 100% (6.7% severe, 40% moderate, 53.3% mild) of PD patients via hand grip comparison. In conclusion, hand grip strength is a simple tool to measure the muscle mass as a measure of malnutrition in dialysis patients