We conducted this study to evaluate the risk factors of protienuria in renal transplant patients. We reviewed the records of the active renal transplant patients at two large transplant centres in Riyadh and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia transplanted between 1979 and November 1998. The recipients were grouped according to the presence of protienuria; group I: from zero-0.3 g/L, group II: from 0.4-1 g/L, group III: more than one g/L. There were 340 patients' records included in the study. The mean age was 39.7 years and the mean duration of transplantation was 82.2 months. There were 209(61.5%) patients in group I, 92 (27.1%) patients in group II and 39 (11.5%) patients in group III. There was no significant difference among the study groups in terms of mean age, mean duration of transplantation, type of donor (living-related and unrelated, or cadaver), rate of re-transplantation (8.2%), rate of hypertension on dialysis (66.6%), aetiology of original renal disease, incidence of acute rejection in the first year, diagnosis of diabetes after transplantation (30.6%), or mean serum level of cholesterol (5.9 mmol/L). In comparison to the other groups, group I had significantly more females (44.5%), more patients with blood pressure within normal limits with or without treatment (56% versus 38% and 17% respectively), lower mean serum creatinine (125 micmol/L versus 149 and 173 respectively), higher mean cyclosporine dose (3.28 versus 2.7 and 2.73 mg/kg/day respectively), and higher mean prednisolone dose (0.15% mg/kg/day) and less frequency of abnormal electrocardiogram (10% versus 22% and 25% respectively).
That protienuria may be a marker of renal dysfunction and hypertension in the transplant patients in Saudi Arabia.