Evaluation of chronic renal disease in heart transplant recipients: importance of pretransplantation native kidney histologic evaluation.

Although long-term use of cyclosporine has been implicated in the pathogenesis of arteriolar hyalinosis, interstitial fibrosis, and glomerulosclerosis observed in the native kidneys of heart transplant recipients, it is not clear that these histologic abnormalities are entirely specific for a drug-induced toxic nephropathy. The purpose of this study was to determine whether long-standing congestive heart failure, particularly when complicated by disease processes such as atherosclerosis and hypertension, may independently predispose to the development of similar renal histopathology. Records and specimens were selected from autopsy files for evaluation of clinical profiles and kidney histology in 16 patients who died of end-stage cardiomyopathy of varying causes without having recourse to heart transplantation. The study cohort consisted of 12 men and four women. Cardiomyopathies were the result of coronary artery disease in six patients and nonischemic causes in the other 10 patients. The mean age at the time of death was 53 +/- 3 years (range 28 to 74 years). Thirteen (81%) of 16 patients had a history of hypertension. Nadir serum creatinine concentrations during the month before death were 1.7 +/- 0.2 mg/dl (range 1.2 to 3.5 mg/dl). Interstitial fibrosis, tubular atrophy, and glomerulosclerosis were present in 15 (94%) of 16 patients. Arteriosclerosis and arteriolosclerosis were found in 13 (81%) of 16 and 14 (88%) of 16 patients, respectively. A nodular pattern of arteriolar hyalinosis was observed in two patients with ischemic disease.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)