ABSTRACT
Most of the kidney transplanted patients develop arterial hypertension after renal transplantation. Together with very well-known and usual risk factors, post-transplant hypertension contributes to the whole cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in the kidney transplant population. The reasons of post-transplant hypertension are factors related to donors and recipients, immunosuppressive therapy like Calcineurin Inhibitors (CNI) and surgery procedures (stenosis and kinking of the renal artery and ureteral obstruction). According to Eighth National Committee (JNC 8) recommendations, blood pressure > 140/90 mmHg is considered as hypertension. The usual antihypertensive drugs used for the control of hypertension are Calcium channel blockers (CCB), Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, Angiotensin -II receptor blockers (ARB), B- blockers and diuretics. Follow the KDIGO guidelines the target blood pressure < 140/90 mmHg for patients without proteinuria and < 125/75 mmHg in patients with proteinuria is recommended. Better control of post-transplant hypertension improves the long-term graft and patient's survival.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Renal biopsy performed in native and transplant kidneys is generally considered a safe procedure. AIM: In this study, we evaluated renal biopsy complications and risk factors in one nephrology facility. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We conducted a three-year retrospective study on patients who underwent renal biopsy between January 2014 and December 2016. Strict written biopsy protocol was followed. Clinical and laboratory data were obtained from medical charts. Complications were categorised as minor and major, according to the need for intervention. Minor complications included macrohematuria and/or hematoma that did not require intervention. Major complications included hematuria or hematoma with fall of hematocrit that required a blood transfusion, surgery or caused death. A binary logistic regression model was used to analyse the possible factors associated with complications after the biopsy. RESULTS: We analysed 345 biopsies; samples were taken from patients aged from 15-81 years, of whom 61% were men. A total of 21 (6%) patients developed a complication, 4.4% minor and 1.7% major complications. There were no nephrectomy or death due to biopsy intervention. Overweight patients, as well as those with higher creatinine, lower hemoglobin, higher blood pressure and biopsy due to AKI had higher chances to develop complications (p = 0.037, p = 0.023, p = 0.032, p = 0.002, p = 0.002, respectively). The patients' age, gender, kidney dimension, number of passes and uninterrupted aspirin therapy were not found as significant predictors of complications. In the multivariate logistic model, body weight (OR = 1.031, 95%CI = 1.002-1.062), lower hemoglobin (OR = 0.973, 95%CI = 0.951-0.996) and hypertension (OR = 1.025, 95%CI = 1.007-1.044) increased the risk of complications in biopsied patients. CONCLUSION: Renal biopsy is a safe procedure with a low risk of complications when strict biopsy protocol is observed. Correction of anaemia and blood pressure is to be considered before the biopsy.
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Renal transplantation became a routine and successful medical treatment for Chronic Kidney Disease in the last 30 years all over the world. Introduction of Luminex based Single Antigen Beads (SAB) and recent BANFF consensus of histopathological phenotypes of different forms of rejection enables more precise diagnosis and changes the therapeutic approach. The graft biopsies, protocol or cause, indicated, remain a golden diagnostic tool for clinical follow up of kidney transplant recipients (KTR). AIM: The study aimed to analyse the histopathological changes in renal grafts 12 months after the surgery in KTR with satisfactory kidney function. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A 12-month protocol biopsy study was performed in a cohort of 50 Kidney transplant recipients (42 from living and 8 from deceased donors). Usual work-up for suitable donors and recipients, standard surgical procedure, basic principles of peri and postoperative care and follow up were done in all KTR. Sequential quadruple immunosuppression including induction with Anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) or Interleukin-2R antagonist (IL-2R), and triple drug maintenance therapy with Calcineurin Inhibitors (CNI), Mycophenolate Mofetil (MMF) and Steroids were prescribed to all pts. Different forms of Glomerulonephritis (16), Hypertension (10), End Stage Renal Disease (13), Hereditary Nephropathies (6), Diabetes (3) and Vesicoureteral Reflux (2) were the underlying diseases. All biopsies were performed under ultrasound guidance. The 16 gauge needles with automated "gun" were used to take 2 cores of tissue. The samples were stained with HE, PAS, Trichrome Masson and Silver and reviewed by the same pathologist. A revised and uploaded BANFF 2013 classification in 6 categories (Cat) was used. RESULTS: Out of 48 biopsies, 15 (31%) were considered as normal, 4 (8%), Borderline (BL-Cat 3), 5 (10%) as Interstitial Fibrosis/Tubular Atrophy (IF/TA-Cat 5), 5 (10%) were classified as non-immunological (Cat 6), 2 as a pure antibody-mediated rejection (ABMR-Cat 2) and T-cell Mediated Rejection (TCMR-Cat 4). The remaining 17 samples were classified as a "mixed" rejection: 7 (41%) ABMR + IF/TA, 5 (29%) ABMR + BL + IF/TA, 2 (11%) BL + IF/TA, 1 (5%) ABMR + BL, 1 (5%) ABMR + TCMR and 1 (5%) TCMR + IF/TA. The mean serum creatinine at the time of the biopsy was 126.7 ± 23.4 µmol/L, while GFR-MDRD 63.4 ± 20.7 ml/min, which means that the majority of the findings were subclinical. Among the non-immunological histological findings (Cat 6), 3 cases belonged to CNI toxicity, 1 to BK nephropathy and 1 to recurrence of the primary disease. CONCLUSION: Our 12-month protocol biopsy study revealed the presence of different forms of mixed subclinical rejection. Use of recent BANFF classification and scoring system enables more precise diagnosis and subsequently different approach to the further treatment of the KTR. More correlative long-term studies including Anti HLA antibodies and Endothelial Cell Activation- Associated Transcripts (ENDAT) are needed.
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AIM: To determine the concentrations of nitric oxide (NO) in plasma of women with essential hypertension in prehypertensive phase, its effect on blood pressure, and correlation with other vasoactive substances that regulate systemic and renal vascular tonus. METHODS: The study performed at the Department of Nephrology, Hospital Center in Skopje, Macedonia, included 26 women with essential hypertension in prehypertensive phase and 11 normotensive women as healthy controls. Vasodilating factors NO and 6-keto-prostaglandin F1 alpha (6-keto-PGF1alpha) were determined in plasma. Thromboxane B2 (TXB2) as a vasoconstricting factor and electrolytes Na+, K+, and Ca2+ were determined in urine. Blood pressure was monitored over 24 hours. Systolic, diastolic, mean blood pressure were presented as average 24-hour values. RESULTS: The concentrations of NO and 6-keto-PGF1alpha were significantly lower in women with essential hypertension in prehypertensive phase than in their normotensive controls (NO: median 22, range 11-35 vs median 37.5, range 11-66; 6-keto-PGF1alpha: 64.8+/-14.35 vs 98.21+/-43.45 micromol/L; P<0.001). The index of vascular reactivity (TXB2/6-keto-PGF1alpha ratio) was higher in women in prehypertensive phase than in normotensive women (1.3 vs 0.8, P<0.001). Urinary calcium to creatinine ratio was significantly lower in the prehypertensive group (0.06+/-0.03 vs 0.24+/-0.13, P<0.001). No direct correlations were found between NO, TXB2, and 6-keto-PGF1alpha, or between NO and electrolytes in the urine. Low NO and urinary Ca2+ were significant indicators of increased blood pressure (P=0.013 and P=0.024, respectively; backward stepwise multiple regression analysis). CONCLUSIONS: NO and 6-keto-PGF1alpha were significantly lower in women in prehypertensive phase of essential hypertension. Lower NO correlated with increased systolic blood pressure, but not with on natriuresis and calciuresis. These findings, together with the higher vascular reactivity index, indicate that endothelial dysfunction precedes the establishment of essential hypertension.
