Peculiarities of tuberculosis in kidney transplant recipients

Abstract

Renal transplant is becoming increasingly available in developing countries. Significant advances have been made globally since the first successful kidney transplant in 1954, with the advent of newer, more effective and more selective immunosuppressants. As a result, allograft and patient survival has increased, leaving infection and malignancy as major challenges. The incidence rate of tuberculsis in renal transplant recipients is directly proportional to the prevalence in the general population with the developing countries having the highest rates. The objective of this paper is to review the existing literature on post renal transplant tuberculosis with a view to highlighting its peculiarities compared to tuberculosis in the general population. Several databases (Medline, EMBASE, Cochrane data base, Google Scholar and AJOL) were searched for articles using the key words Tuberculosis (MESH), Renal (OR Kidney), AND transplant. Hand search was also made of reference list of retrieved articles. Full text of relevant original articles were retrieved and appraised. Several studies have demonstrated increased risk of tuberculosis in renal transplant recipients, especially in developing countries. Tuberculosis in renal transplant recipients has peculiarities such as difficulty in diagnosing latent TB, atypical presentations, increased risk of dissemination, increased mortality and interactions of anti-Tb drugs with transplant medications. Clinicians managing renal transplant recipients especially in developing countries should have a high index of suspicion for TB and be aware of its peculiarities in this patient population.