ABSTRACT
All forms of GN may recur on the kidney allograft, but the risk of recurrence is different for the various subtypes of GN (Table 7.1). However, even for a single subtype of GN, it is difficult to assess the risk of recurrence. In two large series, the recurrence of GN was the third most frequent cause of late graft failure after chronic allograft nephropathy and death, accounting for 8-12% of graft losses at 10 years after transplantation (Briganti et al., 2002; Ponticelli et al., 2002a). As the deleterious effect of recurrent GN may be diluted by the many other factors that interfere with long-term graft survival, there is no reason to discriminate against potential recipients with GN in selecting patients for renal transplantation. Nevertheless, for those patients who actually have recurrence, the relative risk of graft failure is almost doubled, the risk being particularly elevated for focal segmental glomerular sclerosis and for membranoproliferative GN.
