Skin lesions after renal transplantation in Shiraz University of Medical Sciences

Background an objective: Renal transplantation may be considered as the only effective long-term therapy for chronic renal failure. Better surgical techniques and recent advances in immunosuppressive therapy allows patients to survive for many years. However, cutaneous lesions (Cosmetic, infectious, pre-cancerous and neoplastic) can be a significant problem for this group of patients. This study was performed to determine the frequency of skin lesions in renal transplant recipients (RTR) in Shiraz university of medical sciences in 2003-04. Materials and Methods: This descriptive study was done on RTR operated in transplantation center, Namazi hospital in Shiraz. They had a complete dermatologic history taken and received a thorough dermatologic examination in the department of dermatology at Faghihi hospital. Results: From July 2003 to October 2004 two hundred (130 males and 70 females) patients with a mean age of 39 years were studied. Hypertrichosis was the most commonly observed dermatologic conition, which was observed in 191 cases. The most common skin infection was wart presented in 101 cases. Eight patients had non-melanoma skin cancer. Conclusion: Awareness of RTRs and their medical personnel about cutaneous complications of renal transplantation as well as early referral of these patients to dermatologists to treat their lesions can improve their quality of life and survival.