INFECTIONS IN RENAL TRANSPLANT PATIENTS IN CENTRAL AUSTRALIA

D TRAN1, B PAWAR1, S NAYAR1, S CHERIAN1
1Alice Springs Hospital Renal Department, The Gap, Australia

Aim: To identify the types of infection experienced by renal transplant patients living in Central Australia, and to quantify the incidence of infection and their clinical outcomes
Background: Immunosuppression in patients post renal transplantation increases their risk of common and opportunistic infections. In addition, due to ecological and socio-economic factors, the types and incidence of infections in Central Australia (particularly its Indigenous population) are different to those of urban centres in Australia.
Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of 39 patients who had received a renal transplant and had been under care of the Alice Springs renal department in the last 15 years. Using electronic medical records, episodes of infection were identified, as well as associated clinical endpoints such as hospitalisation,  admission to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), documented acute kidney injury (AKI), graft loss or death with functioning graft.
Results: In the study population, the most common infection was urinary tract infection (29 cases per 100 person-years), followed by respiratory tract infection (21 cases per 100 person-years) and skin infection (12 per 100 person-years). Other infections of note included CMV disease, pulmonary mucormycosis, cryptococcal pneumonia, strongyloidiasis, and giardiasis. The rate of hospitalisation due to infection was 66 per 100 person-years. The rate of documented AKI associated with episodes of infection was 19 per 100 person-years.
Conclusions: renal transplant patients in Central Australia experience frequent infections such as urinary tract, respiratory tract and skin infections, leading to frequent hospitalisations and episodes of AKI.


Biography:
First year renal advanced trainee at Alice Springs Hospital

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