Long-term outcome of early steroid withdrawal in pediatric renal transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Steroid use in renal transplant is related to multiple adverse effects. Long-term effects of early withdrawal steroids in pediatric renal transplant were assessed. METHODS: Renal transplant children with low immunological risk treated on basiliximab, tacrolimus, and mycophenolate with steroid withdrawal or steroid control were evaluated between 2003 and 2019. Clinical variables, treatment adherence, acute rejection, graft loss, and death were analyzed through hazard ratios, and Kaplan-Meier and multivariate analyses. RESULTS: The study included 152 patients, 71.1% steroid withdrawal, mean follow-up 8.5 years, 64.5% structural abnormalities, and 81.6% deceased donor. At 12 years of transplant, event-free survival analysis for graft loss or death showed no significant difference between steroid withdrawal and control steroid treatment (85.9% vs. 80.4%, p = .36) nor in acute rejection at 10 years (18.5% vs. 20.5%, p = .78) or in donor-specific antibody appearance (19.6% vs. 21.4%, p = .98). Delta height Z-score was increased in the steroid withdrawal group (p < .01). The main predictor of graft loss or death was non-adherence to treatment (p = .001; OR: 17.5 [3.3-90.9]). CONCLUSIONS: Steroid withdrawal therapy was effective and safe for low-risk pediatric renal transplant in long-term evaluation. Non-adherence was the main predictor of graft loss or death.

Prevalência de Anemia em Pacientes com Insuficiência Cardíaca / Prevalence of Anemia in Patients with Heart Failure

A prevalência de anemia bem como a morfologia das hemácias em pacientes internados porinsuficiência cardíaca (IC) não são totalmente conhecidos. Objetivo: Verificar a prevalência de anemia em pacientes diagnosticados com IC, caracterizar o seu padrão morfológico e verificar a sua associação com a classe funcional da NYHA. Métodos: Estudo transversal, retrospectivo, com 144 pacientes do Sistema Único de Saúde, internados por IC no Hospital da Cruz Vermelha, Curitiba, PR de janeiro de 2010 a julho de 2014. Dados sócio demográficos e informações do hemograma admissional foram obtidos nos prontuários dos pacientes. A análise do hemograma incluiu: níveis de hemoglobina, volume corpuscular médio (VCM), concentração de hemoglobina corpuscular média (CHCM) e índice de anisocitose (RDW). Os valores de referência para caracterizar a anemia seguiram orientação da Organização Mundial da Saúde. Resultados: População estudada com distribuição semelhante de sexo (52,8% homens), média de idade 67,8±13,8 anos e quase a totalidade (95,8%) se declarou de etnia branca. A prevalência de anemia nessa população foi 41,0%, a maioria (38,2%) correspondendo a graus leves e moderados. A classe funcional III (CF III) foi a mais prevalente (63,2%) seguida da CF IV (31,3%). A principal característica morfológica encontrada foi normocítica e hipocrômica com 49,1%. Encontrou-se correlação da anemia com o aumento da faixa etária (>60anos), com p=0,008. Conclusões: A prevalência da anemia em pacientes com IC foi maior nas faixas etárias mais avançadas, em CF III e IV, e a principal característica morfológica foi a normocítica e hipocrômica...

Background: The prevalence of anemia and the morphology of red blood cells in patients hospitalized with heart failure (HF) are not totally known. Objective: To check the prevalence of anemia in patients diagnosed with HF, characterize the morphology and check its associationwith NYHA functional class. Methods: Cross-sectional retrospective study with 144 patients from the Brazilian Public Health System hospitalized for HF atHospital da Cruz Vermelha, Curitiba, PR, January 2010 to July 2014. Sociodemographic data and admission blood count information were taken from the patients’ medical records. The blood count analysis included: hemoglobin levels, mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) and anisocytosis index (RDW). The reference values to characterize anemia followed the World Health Organization’s guidelines.Results: Population studied with similar distribution of sex (52.8% men), mean age 67.8±13.8 years and nearly all of them (95.8%) self-reported white ethnicity. Anemia prevalence in this population was 41.0%, the majority (38.2%) corresponding to mild to moderate degrees. Functional class III (FC III) was the most prevalent one (63.2%), followed by FC IV (31.3%). The main morphological characteristicfound was normocytic and hypochromic with 49.1%. Correlation of anemia with increasing age (>60 years) was found with p=0.008. Conclusions: Prevalence of anemia in patients with HF was higher in older age groups, in FC III and IV, and the main morphological characteristic was normocytic and hypochromic...

Kidney transplant in pediatric patients with severe bladder pathology.

The aim of the current study was to compare results in pediatric renal transplantation of patients with and without SBP. Between 2001 and 2013, a total of 168 kidney transplants were performed at our center. A retrospective analysis was performed and recipients were divided into two groups: NB and SBP. Incidence of surgical complications after procedure, and graft and patient survival were evaluated. A total of 155 recipients (92%) with complete data were analyzed, and 13 recipients that had had previous bladder surgeries were excluded (11 with VUR surgery and two with previous kidney transplants), of the 155 recipients: 123 (79%) patients had NB, and 32 (21%) patients had SBP, with a median follow-up of 60 (1-137) and 52 (1-144) months, respectively. Among post-transplant complications, UTI (68.8% vs. 23%, p < 0.0001) and symptomatic VUR to the graft (40.6% vs. 7.3%, p < 0.0001) were significantly higher in the SBP group. There was no significant difference in overall graft and patient survival between groups. Renal transplantation is safe in pediatric recipients with SBP; however, urologic complications such as UTI and VUR were significantly higher in this group. Graft and patient survival was similar in SBP and NB groups.