Many kidney transplant patients have glomerular disease as the cause of kidney failure. These patients may be exposed to immunosuppression before transplantation which could increase the risk for infections following receipt of a transplanted kidney. We identified kidney transplant recipients at a university teaching hospital who received immunosuppression pre-transplant for the treatment of glomerular kidney disease. We examined their risk for infection after transplantation by comparing it to the risk among transplant patients who were not exposed to immunosuppression prior to transplant. We observed no increased risk for infection following exposure to prior immunosuppression. Therefore, patients exposed to significant amounts of immunosuppression before transplantation may not require special surveillance or medication adjustment for fear of infection following their receipt of a kidney transplant.

Many kidney transplant patients have glomerular disease as the cause of kidney failure. These patients may be exposed to immunosuppression before transplantation which could increase the risk for infections following receipt of a transplanted kidney. We identified kidney transplant recipients at a university teaching hospital who received immunosuppression pre-transplant for the treatment of glomerular kidney disease. We examined their risk for infection after transplantation by comparing it to the risk among transplant patients who were not exposed to immunosuppression prior to transplant. We observed no increased risk for infection following exposure to prior immunosuppression. Therefore, patients exposed to significant amounts of immunosuppression before transplantation may not require special surveillance or medication adjustment for fear of infection following their receipt of a kidney transplant.