Retrospective analysis of urinary tract infections in kidney transplant recipients

In our study, in which we evaluated the characteristics and risk factors of patients with urinary tract infection after kidney transplantation and investigated the effects of episodes on graft and patient survival, we retrospectively examined 550 patients who underwent kidney transplantation between January 2006 and May 2019 at Bursa Uludag University Medical Faculty Hospital Kidney Transplantation Center. The incidence of urinary tract infection in our series was 36.4%. Female gender, advanced age of transplantation and advanced donor age, long median dialysis time before transplantation, prolonged foley catheter and hospitalization time after transplantation, cytomegalovirus infection, histories of vesicoureteral reflux and neurogenic bladder were found to be risk factors for urinary tract infection. In patient survival analysis, living donor transplantation, female gender, use of tacrolimus-mycophenolate mofetil-corticosteroid combination as maintenance immunosuppressive therapy, preemptive transplants compared to patients who received peritoneal dialysis had longer life span; advanced age of transplantation, obesity, delayed graft function, acute rejection, diabetes mellitus and a history of cytomegalovirus infection were also associated with a shorter life span. Recurrent infection was detected in 37% of the urinary tract infection group. Escherichia coli was the most frequently isolated agent in both groups. Urinary tract infections are a common serious complication after transplantation. Therefore, risk factors should be carefully evaluated and treated effectively. Multi-center studies will be useful in managing this complication and determining treatment algorithms.