Impact of immediate post‐transplant parenteral iron therapy on the prevalence of anemia and short‐term allograft function in a cohort of pediatric and adolescent renal transplant recipients

Abstract

The prevalence of anemia after a recent KTX surgery in adults ranges from 70% to 90%, while the incidence of late-onset anemia is 20%-50%. 1-3 Similarly, in a few available pediatric studies, the prevalence of anemia was reported as 84% in the first month of transplant and 25%-50% at 12 months. 4-6 Unfortunately, due to a widespread under-diagnosis of post-transplant anemia (PTA), inadequate treatment is a frequent phenomenon. 1,7 However, early-and late-onset PTAs have been associated with a high all-cause mortality rate and shorter duration of allograft survival. 2,6,8-11 Due to a high turnover rate of iron during chronic dialysis and because of peri-surgical blood loss, ID is the major cause of early-onset anemia. 7,12-14 On the other hand, late-onset anemia (>12 month post-transplant) is principally driven by inadequate nutrition and EPO deficiency that results from impaired allograft function. 3,15,16

Adverse Drug Events after Kidney Transplantation

“…Various factors contribute to iron deficiency in kidney-transplant recipients, including inflammation, medication, and an increased need for iron after transplantation [52]. Recent evidence suggests that routine parenteral iron treatment after kidney transplantation is linked to a lower prevalence of early-and late-onset anemia and a reduced requirement for erythropoietin-stimulating rescue agents or blood transfusions [53].…”