Severe Vascular Lesions and Poor Functional Outcome in Kidney Transplant Recipients with Lupus Anticoagulant Antibodies

Abstract

The impact of antiphospholipid antibodies (APA) on clinical outcome and graft histology following renal transplantation remains poorly known and controversial. We retrospectively explored the functional and histological significance of APA, primarily lupus anticoagulant (LA), in kidney transplant recipients using a systematic evaluation of 3- and 12-month posttransplant screening biopsies and glomerular filtration rate measurements (mGFR). During the study period, 37 patients had APA (2.7%), primarily LA, and 12 fulfilled antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) diagnostic criteria (0.8%) at the time of transplantation. Early after transplantation, 4 of the 12 APS patients died. Early thrombosis of graft vessels and deep venous thrombosis occurred more frequently in APA+ patients than in controls (27% vs. 7%, p < 0.05 and 35% vs. 14%, p < 0.05, respectively). The survival rate was significantly lower in patients with APS. Strikingly, the hallmark lesions of APS-associated nephropathy (APSN) were found in most of screening graft biopsies in APA+ patients but not in the controls. Accordingly, APA+ patients had a dramatic increase in chronic vascular scores and a faster decline in mGFR at 1 year. In conclusion, renal transplantation may be life-threatening in APS patients, and the presence of LA at the time of transplantation is associated with a high rate of allograft APSN and poor transplantation outcomes.