Post-transplant erythrocytosis : a diseases with multifactorial etiology

الملخص EN

Post-transplant erythrocytosis (PTE) is defined as an increase in hematocrit greater than 51 %.

This phenomenon affects 5 to 17 % of renal transplant patients within two years of transplantation.

Its etiology is not clearly known, but several factors have been implicated in its pathogenesis.

We report on a 50-year-old male, known to have autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease, diabetes mellitus and hypertension for 20 years, who underwent a living unrelated donor transplantation.

Three years following renal transplantation, he was noted to have high hemogloblin and hematocrit (18.3 gm %, 53.8 %).

This erythrocytosis persisted for nine months during which period he underwent multiple phlebotomies before undergoing spontaneous remission.

He did not develop any complications of erythrocytosis.

Our patient had multiple factors to account for occurrence of PTE : diabetes mellitus, hypertension, mild allograft dysfunction, polycystic kidney disease and cyclosporin therapy.

Our case suggests that multiple factors may be operative in a given patient leading to the development of PTE.