Proteinuria-reducing effects of tonsillectomy alone in IgA nephropathy recurring after kidney transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Few studies have been conducted to determine the efficacy of tonsillectomy in suppressing IgA nephropathy recurring after the kidney transplantation.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Of the 405 kidney recipients who received allograft transplants at our institution between 1998 and 2005, 63 (63 of 405, 16%) were diagnosed as having recurrence of IgA nephropathy in the kidney graft. Among the 63 patients, our subjects in this study were 28 patients who were confirmed to have recurrence of IgA nephropathy by histopathological examination, and who had persistent urinary protein excretion levels of more than 300 mg/day despite medical treatments. Sixteen patients (group 1) underwent tonsillectomy alone, whereas the remaining 12 patients (group 2) did not receive tonsillectomy. The degree of proteinuria, kidney graft function, and blood pressure were analyzed retrospectively in the two patient groups.

RESULTS: The urinary protein excretion decreased dramatically after the tonsillectomy in all of the 16 patients of group 1 (880+/-630 mg/day to 280+/-220 mg/day, P<0.01) but none of group 2. The reduction in urinary protein excretion after tonsillectomy was especially marked in the patients with mild mesangial changes, such as minor glomerular abnormalities, when compared with that in patients with severe mesangial changes, such as diffuse proliferative glomerular abnormalities (mean percent decrease in the urinary protein excretion rate at 12 months after tonsillectomy; 31% minor glomerular abnormalities vs. 62% diffuse proliferative glomerular abnormalities, P<0.01).

CONCLUSION: These results suggest that in patients receiving oral immunosuppressive therapy for recurrence of IgA nephropathy after the kidney transplantation, reduction of the urinary protein excretion can be expected with tonsillectomy alone, without accompanying pulsed steroid therapy.