Outcome of deceased donor renal transplantation in diabetic nephropathy: a single-center experience from a developing country

Abstract

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) is the commonest cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) worldwide. Renal transplantation (RTx) is the best therapeutic modality for such patients. First-degree relatives of patients with type 2 DM have high risk of diabetes/pre-diabetes. Parents are often too old to be suitable donors, and siblings/children/spouse are either not suitable/acceptable or do not come forward for organ donation. This leaves deceased donation (DD) as only suitable donors. Data scarcity on DDRTx outcome in diabetic nephropathy (DN) prompted us to review our experience. This retrospective single-center 10-year study was undertaken to evaluate patient/graft survival, graft function, rejection episodes, and mortality in these patients. Between January 2001 and March 2011, thirty-five DN-ESRD patients underwent DDRTx in our center following cardiac fitness assessment of recipients. All patients received single-dose rabbit-anti-thymocyte globulin for induction and steroids, calcineurin inhibitor, and mycophenolate mofetil/azathioprine for maintenance immunosuppression. Mean recipient age was 49.66 ± 6.76 years, and 25 were men. Mean donor age was 50 ± 16.45 years, 23 were men. Over a mean follow-up of 2.28 ± 2.59 years, patient and graft survival rates were 68.5% and 88.5%, respectively, with mean SCr of 1.9 ± 0.62 mg/dl. Delayed graft function was observed in 34.3% patients, and 25.7% had biopsy-proven acute rejection; 31.5% patients died, mainly because of infections (22.8%), coronary artery disease (2.86%), and cerebrovascular events (5.7%). DDRTx in patients with DN has acceptable graft function and patient/graft survival over 10-year follow-up in our center and, therefore, we believe it should be encouraged.