Risk Factors and Causality of Early Graft Loss in Kidney Transplanted Patients in Northwestern Iran: A 10-Year Retrospective Study

Background: Early graft loss (EGL) is one of the rare complications of kidney transplantation. Several factors play a role in the occurrence of EGL in kidney transplant recipients, which must be identified and limited. Objectives: This ten-year retrospective study was conducted in a single center on 32 kidney transplant recipients with EGL to determine the reasons for and risk factors of kidney transplant rejection in Iran. Methods: This descriptive-analytical study’s population included 605 kidney transplant recipients receiving kidneys during the last ten years in our center. The diagnosis of EGL was based on renal allograft biopsy examination and primary clinical complications, including a rapid increase in serum creatinine. The age, gender, blood group, and rhesus (Rh) of both donors and recipients, as well as the kinship between the donor and recipient (relative and non-relative), right/left-sided living donor/recipient kidneys, primary kidney disease, the presence of underlying disease in the recipient, dialysis duration, the year of kidney transplantation, transplant survival time, patient survival time, and complications (surgery and others) were gathered. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 18. Results: In this study, 32 out of 605 kidney transplant recipients (5.28%) experienced EGL (53.1% male and 46.9% female, average age of 41.12 years). The duration of kidney function after transplantation was 5.56 ± 0.13 days. The transplanted kidneys were functional between 72 hours and one week after transplantation in 34.4% of the patients. The causes of EGL were found to be tissue rejection in 31.3% of the patients and vascular thrombosis and hyperacute rejection in 21.8%. Nephrectomy occurred in 41% of the patients, and 43.75% died because of a heart attack. Conclusions: Our findings supported previous studies' results, suggesting that EGL is associated with receiving an incompatible kidney transplant and surgery-related complications, including bleeding and thrombosis.