Long-term results of living related kidney transplantation: a retrospective study on 114 recipients followed over 10 years.

Abstract

The long-term patient and graft survivals, causes of death, complications and rehabilitation status in the second decade were analyzed in 114 patients who received living related kidney transplants and were followed up for 10 years or longer. Azathioprine and prednisolone were used for basal immunosuppressive therapy in all patients. The actual patient and graft survival rates at 10 years were 76.3 per cent and 50.9 per cent respectively, the main causes of death being serious infection (10 cases), malignant disease (5 cases), cerebral bleeding (4 cases), hepatic failure (3 cases), gastrointestinal bleeding (2 cases) and cardiovascular disorder (2 cases). Four patients died from complications after re-admission for hemodialysis. The cumulative patient and graft survival rates at 15 years in 58 patients whose graft survived for over 10 years were 87 per cent and 75 per cent, respectively. Of the 51 patients still surviving at the end of the study, the complete rehabilitation rate was 90.2 per cent, however, de novo malignant disease and hepatic disorder were significant complications which not only disturbed the patients' quality of life but also reduced their survival rate. Therefore, regular follow-up of patients and appropriate management procedures are necessary to enhance the long-term success of kidney transplantation.