Kidney Transplant Recipients With Rheumatic Diseases: Epidemiological Data From the Polish Transplant Registries 1998-2015.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a common complication of rheumatic disorders. We analyzed the incidence of different rheumatic conditions as a primary diagnosis of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in kidney transplant recipients in Poland. Data were received from the national waiting list for organ transplantation (Poltransplant) registries. Primary diagnosis leading to ESRD were analyzed in 15,984 patients who received kidney transplants between 1998 and 2015. There was no information about primary diagnosis in 4981 cases (31%) and in 1482 cases (9%) the diagnosis was described as unknown. Rheumatic diseases were specified in 566 (5.14%) kidney transplant recipients: lupus erythematosus, (systemic lupus erythematous nephritis) in 211 (1.92%), vasculitis in 176 (1.60%), amyloidosis AA in 82 (0.75%), hemolytic uremic syndrome in 59 (0.54%), secondary glomerulonephritis in 24 (0.22%), scleroderma in 9 (0.08%), rheumatoid arthritis in 4 (0.04%) and Sjögren syndrome in 1 (0.01%). Graft survival at 1 and 5 years were significantly better in the nonrheumatic versus rheumatic group (90 vs 87% and 76 vs 72% respectively, P = .04). Recipient survival at 5 years was significantly better in the nonrheumatic versus the rheumatic group (88 vs 84%, P = .02). Our study showed that systemic lupus erythematosus and systemic vasculitides are the major rheumatic causes of ESRD in the Polish population. Long-term graft and recipient survival were significantly better in the nonrheumatic versus the rheumatic group in the Poltransplant cohort.