Frequency of skin diseases in renal transplant recipients and patients with chronic kidney disease in a tertiary center: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

INTRODUCTIONChronic kidney disease (CKD) is a significant global public health problem with a major socioeconomic impact. 1,2 Its worldwide prevalence is estimated at 10-16%; 1,3,4 additionally, its prevalence has increased in the recent decades, along with the number of patients with terminal CKD requiring transplantation, 3,6 mostly due to the increase in the prevalence of hypertension and diabetes mellitus. 4,5 Patients with CKD are prone to skin abnormalities. 7,8 These manifestations are often associated with impaired renal function and are more prevalent in end-stage disease, 7,8 when the kidneys are unable to maintain appropriate levels of metabolic products, such as urea, creatinine, sodium, calcium, and phosphate, causing damage to several organs, including the skin. 9 Kidney transplantation is the best treatment for patients with end-stage CKD; 3,10 however, the immunosuppression required to maintain the graft can lead to various side effects and a greater susceptibility to infectious and neoplastic diseases. 11 Besides immunosuppression itself, the mechanisms of action of immunosuppressive drugs and viral infections (oncogenic viruses) are associated with cutaneous disorders in renal transplant recipients (RTR). 12,13