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Q:
Hello, I was diagnosed with IgA Nephropathy several years ago. I’d like to know what is the success with a kidney transplant? Is it any different than when the cause is something else or unknown? I read the IgA Nephropathy does recurr in the transplanted graft as well.
A:
The most common concern about kidney transplant among IgA Nephropathy patients is will IgA Nephropathy come back in the transplanted kidney. About this questions, I am afraid the answer is yes. Clinic survey shows reoccurrence rate of IgA Nephropathy after kidney transplant is as high as 50% within 10 years and possibly 100% within 10-20 years. Therefore, for IgA Nephropathy patients, even if you have received kidney transplant, you have a very high risk to develop kidney problem again in the rest of your life.
IgA Nephropathy is an autoimmune disease which can be primary or secondary. For people with seconday IgA Nephropathy, it is better for them to found out the root cause of their illness. As we know only when we remove the root cause of it, can the disease be solved fundamentally. Besides, for IgA Nephropathy patients who are planing to do kidney transplant, it is more important for them to found out the causes of their kidney damages; otherwise, IgA Nephropathy comes back more easily without removing the cause of it.
Kidney transplant is needed when IgA Nephropathy progresses to end stage kidney failure, so as long as kidney failure is effective avoided, kidney transplant will be not needed. IgA Nephropathy is an autoimmune disease, so the occurrence of it has close relationship with patient’s immune system. This kind of kidney problem is marked by lots of IgA immune complexes in mesangial area. In normal cases, there is no immune complexes and it is formed when antigen invade our body and combine with antibody. In this light, to stop IgA Nephropathy, preventing the formation of new IgA immune complexes and then remove current IgA Nephropathy from mesangial are is very important.
Lastly, IgA Nephropathy is a progressive disease with long process. In some cases, IgA Nephropathy patients experience acute kidney failure easily when they catch cold, infection or other aggravating factors. Therefore, having a good nursing care is very important for IgA Nephropathy patients to avoid.
