Abstract
During the seven-year period from September 1978 through August 1985, 125 patients recieved their first kidney transplantation in Kitasato University Hospital, Sagamihara, Japan.
Infections in 84 of 125 transplant patients and 84 pair-matched control patients on hemodialysis (HD) therapy were retrospectively evaluated. Two transplant patients died of infectious complications and another died of gastro-intestinal bleeding, while 2 HD patients died of cardiovascular diseases. Eighty-four transplant patients had 49 (54.4% of total incidence) occurrences of urinary tract infection, 17 (18.9%) of viral infection, 11 (12.3%) of respiratory system infection, 4 (4.4%) of abscess, 2 (2.2%) of cryptococcal meningitis, and one each of otitis media and sepsis. Eighty-four pair-matched HD patients had 9 (37.5%) arterio-venous fistula infections, 5 (20.8%) viral infections, 4 urinary tract infections and 4 abscesses.
Forty of 49 urinary tract infections took place within 3 months after renal transplantation, while 8 of 10 opportunistic infections, such as cryptococcosis, aspergyllosis, nocardiosis and cytomegalovirus infection, occurred at 3 months or later following renal transplantation.
Forty-five (53.6%) of 84 patients at risk had infectious complications within 3 months after renal transplantation. The incidence of infections was higher in post-transplant patients than in HD patients up to one year after renal transplantation.
