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Virtually all diseases affecting the native kidney recur in the kidney transplant with the exception of Alport syndrome, polycystic kidney disease, hypertension, chronic pyelonephritis, and chronic interstitial nephritis. Fortunately, in the majority of patients, recurrence of the original disease has minimal clinical impact, with only approximately 5% of all graft loss occurring as a result of recurrent disease. The primary renal diseases that commonly recur include membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis type II, IgA nephropathy, and focal and segmental glomerular sclerosis. The most common systemic disease that recurs is diabetic nephropathy. Living-related transplantation should be used with caution in patients with the hemolytic uremic syndrome, recurrent focal and segmental glomerular sclerosis, and membraneous glomerulonephritis. Fabry disease and primary hyperoxaluria type I are no longer absolute contraindications to kidney transplantation.

In vivo administration of an anti-interleukin-2 (anti-IL-2) receptor monoclonal antibody is a potential new therapy for prevention of allograft rejection of a freshly transplanted organ. Such an approach is more selective than targeting all T cells, or even the CD4 or CD8 major subsets, because only the very recently activated cells should be affected. A clinical trial of anti-Tac monoclonal antibody is in progress in which 20 mg of the immunoglobulin G 2a (lgG2a) antibody is administered intravenously daily for 10 days after cadaveric renal transplantation. Combinations with and without azathioprine, and with varying doses of cyclosporine with prednisone, are being evaluated in a randomized trial. Results to date show a significant immunosuppressive effect of anti-Tac, as measured by a reduced incidence and later onset of acute rejection episodes compared with cyclosporine plus prednisone or cyclosporine plus azathioprine plus prednisone. Removal or cytodestruction of IL-2-receptor positive cells from the peripheral blood does not occur to any major degree, even though serum levels of the antibody are always detectable. In addition, functional studies of MLR, CML, and suppressor cell generation 4 days after cessation of anti-Tac administration show no significant difference between treated and control groups The effect of anti-Tac seems, therefore, to be limited to inhibition of IL-2-mediated T-cell growth during the period of administration, with recovery after a few days' lag period.