The Effect of Intravenous Iron Therapy and Erythropoiesis-stimulation Agent Combination on Renal Transplant Outcomes

RBC transfusion (RBCT) after kidney transplantation(KT) is about 50%. Anemia is common after kidney transplant surgery due to intraoperative blood loss, delayed graft function, and side effects of immunosuppressive drugs. However, due to exposure to non-self human leukocyte antigens (HLA) from blood transfusion, there is a risk of sensitization to HLA through the production of anti-HLA antibodies. In renal transplant patients, exposure to non-self HLA antigens due to RBCT can lead to the generation of donor-specific antibodies (DSA) against renal allograft donors. Patients who have undergone KT are frequently exposed to RBCT, and immunologic damage resulting from this can be an important cause of loss of graft kidney function. Therefore, there should be a more careful review of the risk associated with RBCT on KT recipients. Of the 16,191 Koreans who underwent KT between 2008 and 2017, 59.7% received transplant-related blood transfusions. As a result of analyzing 13,871 Koreans who underwent KT between 2007 and 2015, the overall graft failure rate was 15.5%, and the hazard ratio of survival rate according to RBCT before and after KT increased as the amount of transfusion increased. RBCT before and after KT was independently associated with graft failure and death. Therefore, research on treatment methods that can effectively reduce blood transfusion in transplant patients is absolutely necessary. About 30-60% of patients undergoing major surgery show preoperative anemia, which causes blood transfusions, complications during hospitalization, prolonged hospitalization, and delayed recovery. The most common cause of anemia is iron deficiency. In particular, an increase in hepcidin, a major regulator of iron metabolism, reduces intestinal iron absorption and promotes iron sequestering by macrophages, resulting in a state of functional iron deficiency. Therefore, oral iron intake as a treatment for anemia in surgical patients is not effective. Although the safety and cl