Hyperuricemia in Renal Transplant Recipients

Abstract

Hyperuricemia is a metabolic disease that is noted frequently in renal transplant recipients, with a prevalence of 40％〜60％ reported in recent years. It is well known that hyperuricemia decreases kidney function and increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. Therefore, hyperuricemia is an clitical complication that may affect the long-term outcome of renal transplantation. Risk factors for the development of hyperuricemia include male gender, use of β-blockers, diuretics, or calcineurin inhibitors, history of hypertension, and long-term dialysis. Hyperuricemia is diagnosed when the serum uric acid level exceeds 7.0mg/dL, which may result from decrease in excretion or increase in the production of uric acid. Therefore, the underlying hyperuricemia should be treated on the basis of its cause. Also, unlike the general population, for the management of hyperuricemia in renal transplant recipients, one needs to take into account a possible decrease in renal function and also the characteristics of the drug used for the treatment. Thus, it may be possible to prevent deterioration of renal function by performing appropriate treatment, which in turn leads to an improvement in graft survival.