Chagas' disease and kidney transplantation--follow-up of nine patients for 11 years
Lopez Blanco, O.A.; Cavalli, N.H.; Jasovich, A.; Gotlieb, D.; González-Cappa, S.
Transplantation Proceedings 24(6): 3089-3090
1992
ISSN/ISBN: 0041-1345 PMID: 1466068 Document Number: 389009
Between May, 1980, and June, 1990, 9 patients received a kidney transplant from a living related donor. All recipients and 2 of the donors were chronically infected with Trypanosoma cruzi. Follow-up lasted between 19 and 118 months. A total of 7 acute rejection crises (ARC) were diagnosed in 6 patients while 3 patients had no ARC. The one and only death occurred 90 months after undergoing the transplant and was due to meningeal cryptococcosis. Although the remaining 8 patients still tested positive both serologically and parasitologically, none presented any clinical evidence of reactivation of Chagas' disease. It was concluded that chronic Chagas' disease in the potential recipient of a kidney transplantation is not a contraindication for grafting because the immunosuppressive therapy does not cause recrudescence of the infection.