Dawn of a new beginning- First renal transplant in patient with HIV in Nepal

Abstract

Human immunodeficiency virus infection was traditionally considered an absolute contraindication for transplantation because of the concern that immunosuppression would accelerate HIV disease progression, resulting in increased mortality and a "waste" of organs. Since potent antiretroviral therapy became widely available in 1996, the prognosis of patients with HIV infection has dramatically improved. HIV-infected patients are now accepted recipients of both HIV-infected and HIV- uninfected donor organs in specialized transplant centers worldwide. However, due to stigma about the disease and lack of appropriate expertise, renal transplant in HIV patients has not been done in Nepal. Here, we report the first case of renal transplantation done in patient with HIV in Nepal. So, even in a resource limited setting like Nepal, HIV-positive ESRD patients with stable disease should be given the benefit of kidney transplantation as patient and graft survival are reasonably good with better quality of life.