The incidence and impact of early rejection episodes on graft outcome in recipients of first cadaver kidney transplants.
The objective of this study was to define the incidence and significance of acute rejection occurring in the first year following transplantation. The influence of contemporary induction immunosuppression on rejection, as well as the effect of rejection on graft and patient loss, renal function, and maintenance immunosuppression during the first year in 110 recipients of first cadaver renal transplants were analyzed. All patients received CsA, Aza, and prednisone for 30 days with withdrawal of Aza at 30 days and then prednisone at 105 days; 57 patients were prospectively randomized to receive ALG (Merieux) until serum creatinine was less than 300 mumol/L. Short-term ALG administration did not influence the incidence, severity, nature, or outcome of rejection episodes. Fifty-five (50%) patients had at least 1 rejection in the first 90 days. All patients with delayed graft function and 7/8 (88%) sensitized patients (current PRA greater than 50%) had at least 1 rejection episode; 71% (n = 35) of all rejection episodes occurred in the first 30 days posttransplant. Patients rejection free at 90 days remained rejection free the entire first year. Graft loss was 18% for rejections in the first month, 13% for rejections occurring later (P = NS); 20% (n = 11) of patients had a second rejection and 1% (n = 2) had a third rejection. The risk of graft loss was 9% with a first rejection, 38% with a second rejection, and 50% with a third rejection. Of 12 (22%) rejections that were steroid resistant, 10 (83%) were reversed with OKT3. One-year graft survival for patients without rejection, with steroid-sensitive rejection, and with steroid-resistant rejection was 96%, 88% (P = ns), and 58% (P less than 0.001), respectively; 1 year SCr was 168 +/- 93, 196 +/- 77 (P = ns), and 268 +/- 96 microMol/L (P less than 0.05), respectively. Patients free of rejection and with stable renal function continued to do well on maintenance CsA monotherapy, and they were more likely to be on CsA monotherapy than those with rejection episodes (P less than 0.01).