A Kidney Transplant is the treatment of choice for individuals with advanced Kidney Failure due to IgA Nephropathy, which is characterized with the deposition of IgA or IgA antibodies in glomerular mesangial areas. However, some patients are confused about why IgA nephropathy reoccurs after a kidney transplant?

Actually, IgA nephroapthy is the most common primary glomerular nephritis in the world and 20-40% pf patients progress to end-sage renal-failure after 20 years of clinical disease. In addition, it is also an autoimmune disease which refers that patients’ immune system get disordered. When patients get infection, the immune system can not work normally and the immunity is usually low. Well, can kidney transplant cure the kind of kidney disease? For these patients, transplantation offers an excellent option for renal replcement therapy. However, immunohistological recurrence develops in as many as 60% of allografts by 10 years after transplant. Although early reports suggested recurrent disease had a relatively benign outcome, presumably due to anti-inflammatory effects of immunosuppressive medications, longer observation has shown that 2–16% of affected allografts were lost to progressive disease. It is possible that your kidney disease may come back even after kidney transplant. Many kidney diseases are damaged by other disease. If the primary disease cannot be controlled, the transplanted kidney may be get affected sooner or later.

It was reported that more than 95% kidney disease is associated with immune disorder. However, kidney transplant only help "cure" the damages on kidneys, but shows no change in the immune disorder. This is why your kidney disease may reoccur.

Well then, aside from kidney transplant, what else can we do?

Immunotherapy is suggested for IgA Nephropathy patients, because it aims at reverse the immune disorder and repair the damaged kidneys. It is a systemic and effective treatment which has been widely used in our treatment clinic. More treatment tips, please email to renal-disease@hotmail.com or leave a message below and we will do what we can help you.