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Accelerated rejection, thrombosis, and graft failure with angiotensin II type 1 receptor antibodies

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Abstract

Background

Angiotensin II type 1 receptor antibodies (AT1R-Abs) have been implicated in renal transplant rejection and failure; however, the mechanism of allograft damage, patterns of clinical presentation, and response to desensitization of AT1R-Abs have not been clearly established.

Case diagnosis/treatment

We present the case of a 7-year-old boy with preformed AT1R-Abs who developed accelerated vascular and cellular rejection and renal allograft thrombosis despite desensitization and treatment with angiotensin receptor blockade. Although an association between AT1R-Abs and microvascular occlusion has been previously described, we are the first to describe an association between AT1R-Abs and renal artery thrombosis, leading to devastating early allograft failure.

Conclusions

This case highlights the risk of allograft thrombosis associated with AT1R-Abs and illustrates that previous treatments utilized for AT1R-Abs may not always be effective. Further studies are needed to better characterize the mechanisms of AT1R-Ab pathogenesis and to establish safe levels of AT1R-Abs both pre- and post-transplantation. Given the outcome of this patient and the evidence of pro-coagulatory effects of AT1R-Abs, we suggest that the presence of AT1R-Ab may be a risk factor for thrombosis. The role of treatment with anti-coagulation and novel immunomodulatory agents such as tocilizumab and bortezomib require further investigation.

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Fig. 1

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the Casey Lee Ball Foundation and the UCLA Children’s Discovery and Innovation (CDI) and Today and Tomorrow’s Children Fund (TTCF) for supporting this work.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, Division of Nephrology, University of California Los Angeles, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, PO Box 951752, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA

    Meghan H. Pearl, Robert B. Ettenger & Eileen W. Tsai

  2. Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of California Los Angeles Immunogenetics Center, 15-20 Rehab, 1000 Veteran Ave, Los Angeles, CA, 90095-1652, USA

    Richard K. Leuchter, Elaine F. Reed & Qiuheng Zhang

Authors
  1. Meghan H. Pearl
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  2. Richard K. Leuchter
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  3. Elaine F. Reed
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  6. Eileen W. Tsai
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Meghan H. Pearl.

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Pearl, M.H., Leuchter, R.K., Reed, E.F. et al. Accelerated rejection, thrombosis, and graft failure with angiotensin II type 1 receptor antibodies. Pediatr Nephrol 30, 1371–1374 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00467-015-3123-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00467-015-3123-5

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