The use of therapeutic plasmapheresis in renal transplantation

Abstract

Renal transplantation is the outstanding treatment for patients with the end-stage renal failure. Although renal transplant recipients have lower mor- tality and morbidity risk, and improvement in quality of life when compared to dialysis, the posttransplant immunosuppressive drugs increase the risk of infection. Another problem encountered after the transplantation is acute rejection. Acute rejection causes decrease in long-term graft survival, therefore it is important to prevent the rejection and apply proper treatment. A significant reduction in the frequency of acute rejection is obtained due to the developments in immunosuppressive drugs. In this review, we aimed to assess the use of plasmapheresis in the treatment of acute rejection.