Interventions for preventing recurrent IgA nephropathy after kidney transplantation: systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Recurrent IgA nephropathy (rIgAN) after kidney transplantation is one of the common renal diseases leading to graft loss. So far, no proven strategy has been confirmed to prevent or decrease the rIgAN. In this study, a scoping review of the exicting scientific literature to assess and address the effects of pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic interventions on rIgAN after kidney transplantation. Methods: PubMed, Embase, Web of sciences, ProQuest, and Cochrane library databases along with Google Scholar were searched for articles published up to 11 May 2020 to evaluate the recurrence of IgAN after kidney transplantation. The main inclusion criteria were kidney recipients with IgAN on their native kidney and articles that were based on receiving different therapies and assessing the disease recurrence rate after dividing the subjects into two or more groups after transplantation. Results: Based on our criteria, thirteen papers were included in the scoping review, two of which met the criteria for the meta-analysis. The meta-analysis showed that the risk of IgAN recurrence in the steroid-free group was 3.33 times more than that of the steroid group (Pooled Hazard Ratio = 3.33, 95% CI 0.60–18.33, Z-value = 1.38, p-value = 0.16).