Causes of Original Kidney Disease among Libyan Kidney Transplant Recipients

Abstract

Abstract Introduction  End-stage renal disease (ESRD) has become a significant problem in the North African region. There are few references about the primary causes of ESRD in kidney transplant (KT) recipients. The aim of this study was to determine the causes of the original kidney disease in KT recipients in Tripoli Central Hospital, Tripoli, Libya. Methods  This is a hospital-based, retrospective descriptive study. It includes all KT recipients who were followed up in the outpatient clinic, at the Libyan National General Authority for Organ, Tissue, and Cell Transplantation and nephrology clinic in Tripoli Central Hospital during 2021, Tripoli, Libya. Results  Data on 360 KT recipients were retrieved. Sixty-eight percent of the of the patients were males: 31.1% of all enrolled individuals were between 31 and 40 years. Patient mean age was 36.66 ± 11.86 years. The most common validated cause for ESRD was unknown (55.3%), followed by chronic glomerulonephritis (CGN; 15%), diabetes mellitus and systemic hypertension each equally (10.3%), congenital abnormalities (3.6%), polycystic kidney disease (3.3%), and nephrolithiasis (1.9%). Conclusion  Original cause of kidney disease in most recipients was undetermined, possibly due to limited diagnostic tools or delayed presentation. However, CGN is a main known cause.