Pediatric Nephrology
Volume 26, Issue 2, 2011, Pages 309-315

Does immigration background influence outcomes after renal transplantation? (Article)

Oztek F.Z. , Tekin P. , Herle M. , Mueller T. , Arbeiter K. , Aufricht C.*
  • a Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
  • b Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
  • c Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
  • d Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
  • e Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
  • f Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria

Abstract

Migration implies differences in lifestyle, dietary and health behavior practice, and adherence, all of which are relevant factors in terms of disease outcome. However, renal transplantation in immigrant groups has been rarely studied in Europe. We have investigated the effect of immigration on outcomes in all children who underwent renal transplantation (RTx) at the Medical University of Vienna. From 1978 to 2007, 196 children underwent 236 RTx. In comparison to native recipients, immigrant recipients (31 boys, 17 girls) tended to be younger and male, with a higher rate of congenital renal diseases. The percentage of adolescent immigrant recipients tended to be lower, and living donation tended to be higher. In both the immigrant and native groups, RTx outcomes at 1, 5, and 10 years, including acute rejection rate (34 vs. 44, 55 vs. 62, 74 vs. 78%, respectively) and patient (98 vs. 92, 88 vs. 91, 80 vs. 82%, respectively) and graft survival (83 vs. 82, 79 vs. 65, 66 vs. 51%, respectively) were similar. All outcomes improved over time. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that outcomes in RTx are equivalent in immigrants and native recipients. Potential barriers to success among the Austrian immigrant recipient population may have been overcome by protective factors. These results should serve as a catalyst to retrieve data from larger databases to verify these single-center results. © 2010 IPNA.

Author Keywords

Organ donation Renal transplantation Underlying renal disease Graft survival rates Immigration

Index Keywords

lifestyle Kaplan-Meier Estimate living donor steroid survival rate Europe human immigration Health Behavior controlled study priority journal recipient Austria organ donor school child Humans graft rejection Adolescent graft survival male Emigrants and Immigrants Treatment Outcome female Child, Preschool Article Retrospective Studies major clinical study Kidney Transplantation outcome assessment kidney disease Emigration and Immigration catalyst cyclosporin A azathioprine dietary intake kidney graft rejection Child
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-78751578841&doi=10.1007%2fs00467-010-1685-9&partnerID=40&md5=b5414013fd7fbee2c2daafe08f37cc1b
DOI: 10.1007/s00467-010-1685-9
ISSN: 0931041X
Cited by: 4
Original Language: English