Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms in Kidney Transplant Recipients and Timing of Treatment With TURP: Impact on Renal Graft Survival and Function

Background. With the aging of recipients of renal transplantation (RT) one of the emerging issues is the incidence of low urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), which may have negative consequences on the graft survival and function. The aim of our study was to assess the influence of LUTS and the treatment with transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) on the outcome of RT. Materials and Methods. We collected data from men over 55 who underwent RT at our center from January 2007 to December 2016. We analyzed the incidence of LUTS; the rate of treatment with TURP; the eGFR (estimated glomerular filtration rate) at 6 months and 1, 3, and 5 years from transplantation; and graft survival. Results. Fifty-five patients out of 268 experienced LUTS, and 19 of them had a bladder outlet obstruction (BOO). Patients experiencing BOO had a significantly higher hazard ratio (HR) of graft failure (HR 5.7, CI 1.56-21.4) compared to the other recipients. Of the 18 patients treated with TURP, 10 received the procedure within 6 months from the LUTS onset. They had a significantly absolute eGFR improvement at 6 months from the intervention (+14.25 mL/min +/- 8.10) compared to the patients treated later (-8.4 mL/min +/- 14.43). Discussion. We showed the negative effects of LUTS on kidney graft function and survival. Although TURP is the standard therapy for such an issue, the best timing for it still has to be defined. Our experience supports the need for an early treatment of the LUTS for promoting the outcome of the RT.