Abstract

PRIETO, F; CABANAS, C  and  VILLAGRA, V. Characteristics of patients waiting for kidney transplantation. Mem. Inst. Investig. Cienc. Salud [online]. 2015, vol.13, n.1, pp.49-57. ISSN 1812-9528.  https://doi.org/10.18004/Mem.iics/1812-9528/2015.013(01)49-057.

Patients with chronic renal failure present a pronounced reduction of the glomerular filtration rate and therefore, require renal replacement therapy such as dialysis or kidney transplantation to survive. The aim of this study was to determine the characteristics of patients on the waiting list for kidney transplantation. We analyzed 156 patients from various dialysis centers who came to the Central Laboratory of Public Health between July, 2013 and August, 2014. Demographic information and blood samples were collected to determine the presence of anti-HLA antibodies by ELISA. Ages were between 4 and 74 years, with a mean of 40 years. There were patients from 15 of the 18 health regions of the country, 50% of them came from Asunción and the Central Department. Medical coverage was found to be divided in equal parts between the Ministry of Public Health and the Social Security Institute. The mean time on dialysis was 34 months, 66% of the patients had received multiple blood transfusions, 13% of them were candidates for a second transplant, and 34% of the women were multiparous. Thirty six percent of the studied population presented anti-HLA antibodies. The results of this study indicate that patients awaiting kidney transplantation in Paraguay are characterized by being at their productive age and remain on dialysis for several years. In addition, a third of this population is immunized against histocompatibility antigens, which hinders their access to transplantation.

Keywords : chronic renal failure; dialysis; kidney transplantation; anti-HLA antibodies; histocompatibility.

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