Donor-specific antibodies in a pediatric kidney transplant population-Prevalence and association with antiproliferative drug dosing.

Abstract

Prevalence and implications of anti-HLA class I and class II antibodies are beginning to be better characterized in pediatric kidney transplant recipients. dnDSA formation is predictive of AMR and downstream diminished graft function and survival. However, risk factors for the development of dnDSA are not well defined in this patient population. After introducing DSA surveillance into our pediatric kidney transplant program, we are reporting the prevalence of class I and class II DSA in 67 otherwise stable recipients. Secondary end-points included risk factors for DSA development and assessment of graft function. Significantly, lower median daily MMF doses were observed in patients with DSAs compared to patients without DSAs (371 vs 617mg/m2 /d, respectively; P=0.035). Class II DSA formation was more common, with a prevalence of 17.9%, as compared to 10.4% for class I DSA. Estimated glomerular filtration rate was also decreased in patients with positive DSA vs those with negative titers (71, SD 25 vs 78, SD 29mL/min/1.73m2 , respectively; P=0.034). We conclude that reduced-dose MMF is associated with dnDSA and DSA is associated with diminished graft function in stable pediatric kidney transplant recipients.