Kidney transplant rejection can cause flu-like symptoms, decreased urine output, weight gain, pain, and fatigue. Immunosuppressive drugs are used to prevent rejection, but it can still occur in 10-20% of patients. Rejection is treated with medication adjustments and does not necessarily mean the loss of the transplanted organ. Blood tests and scans are used to diagnose rejection. Kidney transplants are common in the US, with over 12,000 performed annually.
The most common symptoms of kidney transplant rejection include flu-like symptoms, decreased urine output, weight gain at night, pain in the transplant area, and fatigue. A mild rejection episode may not be evidenced externally by clinical symptoms. Rejection refers to the body’s protective immune response to the transplanted kidney. Transplant rejection usually does not cause permanent damage to the transplanted organ. It is treated by adjusting the dosage of immunosuppressive drugs.
Organ rejection is the body’s natural response to the presence of a foreign object, in which the immune system attempts to defend itself against the transplanted organ. Drugs such as tacrolimus (Prograf®) or cyclosporine A (Sandimmune®) are used to proactively protect against kidney rejection after a transplant, but kidney transplant rejection can still occur in 10-20% of patients. Rejection does not necessarily indicate impending failure or loss of the transplanted organ. The likelihood of kidney transplant rejection is greatest during the first six months after transplantation, and rejection becomes less likely as time passes.
Kidney transplant rejection is often a mild, asymptomatic condition and is only detected by subtle changes in blood tests. If you are experiencing outward symptoms of rejection, they can include a variety of signs. The patient may experience flu-like symptoms, including dizziness, aches, headache, chills, or nausea and vomiting. He or she might have a fever of at least 100 degrees F (38 degrees C) or experience tenderness in the kidney area. Other potential symptoms include fluid retention and bloating, fatigue, a significant decrease in urine output, and sudden weight gain of five or more pounds in a 24-hour period.
Rejection of a transplanted kidney can be sudden or gradual. Both types of rejection are usually indicated in blood tests by an increase in creatinine levels. Other means of diagnosing kidney transplant rejection include a renal blood flow scan, which is used to check blood flow to the new kidney, and a surgical biopsy of a small piece of kidney. An episode of rejection is treated with a short hospital stay to provide intravenous immunosuppressive drugs, do repeated laboratory tests to evaluate blood work, and evaluate the patient’s progress with medication adjustments.
Kidney transplants are usually recommended for people with end-stage renal disease who will be able to tolerate major surgery. The kidney is the most frequently transplanted organ in the United States, with over 12,000 kidney transplants performed each year. The transplant donor and organ recipient can both live with a functioning kidney.
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