Antiphospholipid antibodies are a risk factor for early renal allograft failure

Background. Biopsy specimens of transplanted kidneys that fail to function reveal cellular infiltrates, infarcts, and thrombi, Because antibodies to p hospholipids (aPA) and/or phospholipid-binding proteins have been associate d with thrombosis, we asked whether aPA are a risk factor for early allogra ft failure. Methods. Final crossmatch sera from 56 patients with primary nonfunctioning renal allografts were tested for aPA. Serum from the next consecutive pati ent to undergo transplantation served as transplantation controls. Both gro ups were compared with aPA values obtained from testing 252 control individ uals. The ELISA was designed to detect IgG, IgM, and IgA antibodies to phos phatidylserine, cardiolipin, and phosphatidylethanolamine. Results. Patients were evaluated based upon the aPA ELISA findings. aPA wer e present in 57% of the patients with early nonfunction renal allografts an d 35% of the patients with functioning grafts (P=0.0234). aPA in previously hemodialyzed patients did not predict allograft failure or success (P=0.37 66). In contrast, all nonhemodialysis patients who had aPA at the time of t ransplantation experienced early allograft failure (P=0.0022). Conclusions. These data show that aPA are an important risk factor for earl y renal allograft failure. Furthermore, aPA-positive patients who have no h istory of hemodialysis are at the greatest risk, Pretransplantation aPA scr eening of renal transplant candidates forewarns of early graft failure and indicates which patients may benefit from anticoagulant therapy.