Transplantation
Volume 90, Issue 2, 2010, Pages 184-188

Transplant tourism outcome: A single center experience (Article)

Alghamdi S.A. , Nabi Z.G. , Alkhafaji D.M. , Askandrani S.A. , Abdelsalam M.S. , Shukri M.M. , Eldali A.M. , Adra C.N. , Alkurbi L.A. , Albaqumi M.N.
  • a Nephrology Section, Department of Medicine, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
  • b Nephrology Section, Department of Medicine, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
  • c Nephrology Section, Department of Medicine, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
  • d Nephrology Section, Department of Medicine, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
  • e Nephrology Section, Department of Medicine, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
  • f Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, King Faisal Specialist Hospital, Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
  • g Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, King Faisal Specialist Hospital, Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
  • h Stem Cell Therapy Program, Research Center, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Transplantation Research Centre (TRC), Brigham and Women's Hospital and Children's Hospital Boston, Harvard Medical School, MA, United States
  • i Nephrology Section, Department of Medicine, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
  • j Nephrology Section, Department of Medicine, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Nephrology Division, Department of Medicine, New York University Medical Center, NY, United States

Abstract

BACKGROUND.: Transplant tourism is the term used for patients who travel abroad for transplantation. Transplant tourism has always been surrounded with controversy regarding how these organs were obtained, the donor's care after transplantation, and the recipient outcome. Many authors have found that the outcome of the recipients in transplant tourism is inferior to those transplanted in their own countries. However, most these studies were small, with the latest one including only 33 patients. Here, we describe the outcome of 93 patients who were transplanted abroad compared with local transplantation. MATERIAL AND METHODS.: All transplant patients who were followed up at our Nephrology Clinic from 1998 until 2008 were identified using our data base system. We selected patients transplanted from 2003 and forward because the computerized system for laboratory and electronic records began operation that year. RESULTS.: A total of 165 patients were identified (93 in the tourist group and 72 in the local one). Transplant tourists had a higher rate of acute rejection in the first year compared with local transplantation (27.9% vs. 9.9, P=0.005), higher mean creatinine at 6 months and 1 year (120 vs. 101 μmol/L, P=0.0007, 113 vs. 98 μmol/L, P=0.008). There was no statistical difference in graft or patient survival in 1 or 2 years after transplantation. However, transplant tourist had a higher rate of cytomegalovirus infection (15.1% vs. 5.6%, P=0.05) and hepatitis C seroconversion (7.5% vs. 0%, P=0.02). CONCLUSION.: Transplant tourists had a more complex posttransplantation course with higher incidence of acute rejection and infectious complications. © 2010 by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Author Keywords

Transplant tourism Living unrelated kidney transplant

Index Keywords

cytomegalovirus infection Pakistan Immunosuppression Egypt wound infection seroconversion Tissue Donors urinary tract infection tourism survival rapamycin acute graft rejection Follow-Up Studies survival analysis immunoglobulin human middle aged diabetes mellitus controlled study priority journal transplant tourism Reoperation Prednisone transplantation Humans graft rejection graft survival male Cytomegalovirus Infections female tuberculosis electronic medical record creatinine blood level Article Kaposi sarcoma major clinical study adult creatinine clearance Kidney Transplantation medical tourism pneumonia renal replacement therapy cyclosporin A hepatitis B Philippines mycophenolic acid 2 morpholinoethyl ester tacrolimus kidney graft rejection creatinine thymocyte antibody hepatitis C
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-77954956791&doi=10.1097%2fTP.0b013e3181e11763&partnerID=40&md5=ea46702260bb3a7438974cb4f9bd5b96
DOI: 10.1097/TP.0b013e3181e11763
ISSN: 00411337
Cited by: 24
Original Language: English