Children that Undergo Solid Organ Transplants have Increased Risk of Advanced Kidney Disease

A recent study takes an in-depth look into kidney failure and how it can potentially complicate long-term outcomes in children who have received solid-organ transplants.

For those that have undergone transplants of solid organs, these children are at the highest risk of receiving lung or intestinal transplants followed by heart and then liver transplants. With such findings, many health officials reiterate the importance of continued kidney function screenings in pediatric transplant recipients.

"We found that the risk patterns for kidney disease are different among patients who receive solid-organ transplants as children, compared to adult transplant recipients," said pediatric nephrologist Rebecca L. Ruebner, M.D., of The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, via a press release. . "Because chronic and end-stage kidney disease carry high burdens of mortality and serious illness, it is important to take preventive measures to slow or prevent disease progression."

By examining data from the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients, the study team analyzed records of 16,600 pediatric patients who received solid-organ transplants-via liver, heart, lung, intestine and heart-lung from 1990 to 2010 across the United States.

During the two-decade study, researchers found that ESKD occurred in 3 percent of pediatric solid-organ recipients that showed the highest risk of ESKD among those who received lung transplants or intestinal transplants. Those who received liver transplants as children had the lowest rates of ESKD.

However, the study authors note that in contrast, adult liver transplant patients are known to have an increased risk of ESKD and adult lung transplant recipients are known to have a lower risk of ESKD. Both children and adults have an increased risk of intestinal transplantation carrier with a higher risk of ESKD.

"Although the overall incidence of end-stage kidney disease was only 3 percent, the broader burden of chronic kidney disease is much higher in this population of pediatric transplant recipients," said Ruebner, via the release "Children with chronic kidney disease experience a steady decline in kidney function, so we recommend that pediatric health care providers carefully follow transplant patients to detect any early signs of kidney problems, with early referral, if necessary, to a pediatric nephrologist."

More information regarding the study can be found via the journal Pediatrics.