J Korean Soc Pediatr Nephrol.  2006 Oct;10(2):219-227.

Evaluation of Effect of Renal Transplantation on Growth in Children with Chronic Renal Failure

• Lee JW
• Kim JS
• Kim YW
• Kim YH
• Yoon YC
• Chung WY

Abstract

PURPOSE
We aim to identify the clinical and demographic characteristics in children who underwent renal transplantation(RTx) and to evaluate the influence on growth of RTx in children.
METHODS
We reviewed 17 medical records of chronic renal failure patients who underwent RTx from April 1992 and June 2004 at Busan Paik Hospital. Age and sex distribution, cause of disease, donor analysis, patient and graft survival rate, and the status of growth after RTx were analysed by retrospective study.
RESULTS
Eighteen RTx were performed in 17 patients(8 boys, 9 girls). The mean age at the time of RTx was 15.8+/-3.5 years and the mean duration of dialysis therapy before RTx was 22.4+/-18.0 months. The 1 year and 5 year patient survival rate were each 100%, and the 1 year and 5 year graft survival rate were 88%, 36% respectively. The most common cause of graft failure was chronic rejection. The mean final height of male patients was 162.8+/-10.0 cm(143.0-172.5 cm) and of female patients was 154.5+/-12.1 cm(135.8-160.0 cm). The mean height standard deviation score(Ht SDS) increased after RTx from -1.95 to -1.53 but the increment rate was not statistically significant. Similar changes were noted in individual patient analysis. Also there was no significant difference between the living-related donors and cadaveric donors.
CONCLUSION
Our data shows that even successful RTx rarely results in full growth rehabilitation. To overcome retarded growth in children with chronic renal failure, appropriate combined management of metabolic and nutritional problems, correction of anemia, proper use of recombinant growth hormone therapy, early renal transplantation and shortening of the duration of dialysis would be necessary.

Keyword

Renal transplantation; Children; Growth; Final height

MeSH Terms

Anemia
Busan
Cadaver
Child*
Dialysis
Female
Graft Survival
Growth Hormone
Humans
Kidney Failure, Chronic*
Kidney Transplantation*
Male
Medical Records
Rehabilitation
Retrospective Studies
Secondary Prevention
Sex Distribution
Survival Rate
Tissue Donors
Transplants
Growth Hormone