Lamivudine therapy for hepatitis B in renal transplantation.

Antiviral therapies are associated with an increased risk of acute rejection in transplant patients. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of lamivudine therapy for hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in renal transplant patients. Six patients were included in this study. They received 150 mg/day of lamivudine during a follow-up period of 24 months. The laboratory tests monitored were HBV DNA, HBsAg, HBeAg, ALT, gamma-GT, serum creatinine and blood cyclosporine levels. The HBV DNA became undetectable in four patients as early as in the third month of treatment. After six months, the viral load was also negative in the other two patients, and remained so until 18 months of follow-up. The medication was well tolerated with no major side effects. Lamivudine was safe and effective in blocking HBV replication in renal transplant patients without any apparent increase in the risk of graft failure for the 24-month period of study.

Lamivudine therapy for hepatitis B in renal transplantation

Antiviral therapies are associated with an increased risk of acute rejection in transplant patients. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of lamivudine therapy for hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in renal transplant patients. Six patients were included in this study. They received 150 mg/day of lamivudine during a follow-up period of 24 months. The laboratory tests monitored were HBV DNA, HBsAg, HBeAg, ALT, gamma-GT, serum creatinine and blood cyclosporine levels. The HBV DNA became undetectable in four patients as early as in the third month of treatment. After six months, the viral load was also negative in the other two patients, and remained so until 18 months of follow-up. The medication was well tolerated with no major side effects. Lamivudine was safe and effective in blocking HBV replication in renal transplant patients without any apparent increase in the risk of graft failure for the 24-month period of study

[Causes and prognosis of acute renal failure in elderly patients]. / Causas e prognóstico da insuficiência renal aguda hospitalar em pacientes idosos.

UNLABELLED: The prolonged life span of populations is the obvious reason for an increasing proportion of elderly patients with acute renal failure (ARF). The role of age as a factor indicative of a poor prognosis is a matter of controversy. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate this role we have analyzed the final outcome of elderly patients with ARF treated in our Nephrology Service. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Among 361 ARF cases prospectively studied during a two-year period (January 1995 to December 1996), 130 (36%) occurred in patients over 70 years of age. Etiology, clinical course and prognosis were analyzed. The average age was 76.0 +/- 4.7 years, varying from 70 to 94 years; 84 patients (65%) were male, and surgical causes accounted for 51% of geriatric ARF. RESULTS: The most frequent causes were: ischemic (volume depletion, arterial hypotension, and/or low cardiac output) in 48 patients (38%), sepsis in 40 (312%), nephrotoxic drugs in 46 (35%) and obstructive abnormalities in 10 (7.7%); in other 14 (11%) they were diagnosed more than a causal agent. Oliguria was present in 37. 2% (81 patients), and dialysis was needed in 50 patients (39%). The mortality in the population with age below 70 years was 43% and in the elderly patients was 53.8%; total mortality was similar in both groups of patients (p=0.085). Oliguria, need for dialysis, presence of surgical causes of ARF, and ARF acquired within the intensive care unit were associated with poor prognosis in elderly group. CONCLUSION: We concluded that the percentile of elderly patients with ARF is elevated; they presented mortality about of 50%, and this is not superior to the observed in the youngest population; oliguria, dialysis need, ICU cares and surgery are factors of unfavorable prognostic in these patients.

Causas e prognóstico da insuficiência renal aguda hospitalar em pacientes idosos / Causes and prognosis of hospital acute renal failure in elderly patients

OBJETIVOS: O objetivo deste estudo foi analisar as causas e o prognóstico de pacientes idosos (>70 anos de idade) com IRA tratados em nosso Serviço. CASUISTICA E MÉTODOS: Dos 361 pacientes adultos e portadores de IRA, atendidos em nosso serviço no período de janeiro/95 a dezembro/96, acompanhamos 130 pacientes (36 por cento) com idade superior a 70 anos (média de 76,0 ± 4,7 anos, variando de 70 a 94 anos). Destes, 84 (65 por cento) eram do sexo masculino e 66 (51 por cento) estavam no pós-operatório de cirurgias diversas. Os dados foram obtidos através de formulários padronizados usados no Serviço. RESULTADOS: As causas mais freqüentes foram: isquêmicas 48 (38 por cento), sepsis 40 (31 por cento), nefrotóxicas 46 (35 por cento) e obstrutivas 10 (7,7 por cento); em outros 14 (11 por cento) foram diagnosticados mais de um agente causal. IRA nao-oligúrica ocorreu em 81 pacientes (62,8 por cento) e em 50 pacientes (39 por cento) houve necessidade de diálise. A mortalidade na populaçao com idade abaixo de 70 anos foi 43 por cento e nos idosos 53,1 por cento, nao havendo diferença estatística entre os grupos (p=0,085). A mortalidade foi maior (p<0,0001) nos pacientes idosos oligúricos (86 por cento) do que nos idosos nao-oligúricos (32 por cento); maior em casos de IRA cirúrgica (66,7 por cento) do que em IRA de origem médica (41,8 por cento), e em pacientes internados em UTI (69 por cento) do que nos internados em enfermaria (17 por cento). O número de óbitos também foi maior (p<0,0001) no grupo que necessitou de diálise (84 por cento) do que nos nao dialisados (33 por cento). CONCLUSAO: Concluímos que o percentual de pacientes idosos com IRA é elevado; apresentaram mortalidade ao redor de 50 por cento, nao superior ao observado na populaçao mais jovem; oligúria, cirurgia, necessidade de tratamento em UTI e necessidade de diálise foram fatores de prognóstico desfavorável nesta casuística