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Meta-Analysis
. 2016 Jul 29;17(1):104.
doi: 10.1186/s12882-016-0322-7.

The role of plasma exchange in treating post-transplant focal segmental glomerulosclerosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis of 77 case-reports and case-series

Abdullah Kashgary  1   2   3 , Jessica M Sontrop  4   5   3 , Lihua Li  5   3 , Ahmed A Al-Jaishi  5   3 , Zainab N Habibullah  1   3 , Roaa Alsolaimani  1   2 , William F Clark  6   7   8
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

The role of plasma exchange in treating post-transplant focal segmental glomerulosclerosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis of 77 case-reports and case-series

Abdullah Kashgary et al. BMC Nephrol. .

Abstract

Background: Evidence on the role of plasma exchange for treating recurrent post-transplant focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) comes largely from individual cases and uncontrolled series. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to estimate the remission rate after treatment with plasma exchange, and to determine if remission varied with patient or treatment characteristics.

Methods: We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, Science Citation Index Expanded, and the Conference Proceedings Citation Index (Science and BIOSIS) for studies of patients with post-transplant recurrent FSGS who were treated with plasma exchange after recurrence (1950-2012). Of 678 studies screened, 77 met our inclusion criteria: 34 case reports (45 patients) and 43 case series (378 patients). We extracted patient-level data from each study and used random-effects models to calculate remission, defined as proteinuria <3.5 g/day (partial) or <0.5 g/day (complete).

Results: The overall remission rate in 423 patients with outcome data was 71 % (95 % CI: 66 % to 75 %). In 235 patients with data on age, remission was similar for adults and children: 69.1 % (95 % CI: 59.6 % to 77.2 %) and 70.2 % (95 % CI: 61.1 % to 77.9 %). Males were more likely to achieve remission (OR = 2.85; 95 % CI: 1.44 to 5.62) and patients treated within 2 weeks of recurrence showed a trend towards higher likelihood of remission (OR = 2.16; 95 % CI: 0.93 to 5.01). Proteinuria >7 g/day at recurrence was inversely associated with remission (OR = 0.43; 95 % CI: 0.19 to 0.97). Age and type of kidney transplant (living vs. deceased) did not associate with remission.

Conclusion: In this systematic review of patients with recurrent post-transplant FSGS, 71 % of patients achieved full or partial remission after treatment with plasma exchange; however, extensive missing data and lack of a control group limit any conclusions on causality.

Keywords: Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis; Kidney transplantation; Plasma exchange; Plasmapheresis; Systematic review.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flow diagram of included studies (references for 77 included studies and 38 excluded studies are provided in Additional file 1)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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