Alport's syndrome: risk of glomerulonephritis induced by anti-glomerular-basement-membrane antibody after renal transplantation

Abstract

Two patients with Alport's syndrome developed glomerulonephritis induced by anti-glomerular-basement-membrane (anti-GBM) antibody after renal transplantation. One patient presented at 5 months after transplantation the second patient 18 months after transplantation. Both grafts failed and the patients returned to dialysis. Our observations suggest that the patients with Alport's syndrome are at risk of developing anti-GBM antibody type glomerulonephritis in the transplanted kidney. This does not occur in the early period after transplantation, probably because of heavy immunosuppression.