Lupus Nephritis Post Transplant

We have asked this questions many times? Every center gives different answers. Some people have different experiences about this topic. When a lupus nephritis associated ESRD patient gets a kidney transplant, what is the risk of recurrence of lupus in the transplanted kidney?
Well, the recent issue of JASN highlights this question.  From the UNOS database, 6850 patients who had lupus induced kidney diseases and then a transplant was done were reviewed. Only 167 of them had recurrent lupus.  The amount is very small. Three risk factors were identified:
1. African American Recipients.
2. Female recipient.
3. Younger recipient.
As we all think, most of the low numbers of recurrence is likely because we use the same medications that we use for transplant, also to treat and keep lupus under control.

Take a peek at this paper.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20488956