Impact of asymptomatic bacteriuria on renal transplantation. Retrospective cohort study

Abstract

Introduction: Asymptomatic bacteriuria (AB) during the first year post-renal transplantation has an incidence higher than 50%. Urinary tract infection (UTI) is the most frequent complication of renal transplantation; its incidence is between 30 and 70 % during the first year. Objective: To analyze the incidence of UTI and AB during the first year post-renal transplantation and their impact on renal function.  Methods: Retrospective study in renal transplantation patients older than 18 between January 2006 and December 2017 in our center. Patients who had received combined renal transplantation, lost renal graft during the first year due to surgical complications (thrombosis, allograft rupture) or medical complications (rejection, underlying disease recurrence) were excluded. Results: A study was performed with 161 adult patients who had undergone kidney transplantation. The incidence of UTI and AB during the first year after receiving transplantation was 32% and 25%, respectively. The mean renal function one year after transplantation was as follows: (n=53) Cr 1.36(±0.44) for UTI patients; (n=30) Cr 1.36(±0.41) for AB non-treated patients; (n=11) Cr 1.39(±0.42) for AB treated patients, and (n=90) Cr 1.31(±0.43) p=0.95 for patients not suffering from UTI or AB. The risk of UTI was 55% for non-treated AB and 57% for treated AB, with RR 0.96 (95% CI: 0.52-1.8). Conclusion: No significant differences in renal function were found in UTI and AB patients one year after transplantation as compared to patients not suffering from these conditions. AB treatment did not reduce UTI risk.