Choice of Acid Suppressant Therapy and Long-Term Graft Outcomes After Kidney Transplantation

Proton Pump Inhibitors Use in Kidney Transplant Recipients: A Population-Based Study

Background

Kidney transplant recipients are commonly prescribed proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs), but due to concern for polypharmacy, chronic use should be limited.

Objective

The objective was to describe PPI use in kidney transplant recipients beyond their first year of transplant to better inform and support deprescribing initiatives.

Design

We conducted a retrospective, population-based cohort study using linked health care databases.

Setting

This study was conducted in Alberta, Canada.

Patients

We included all prevalent adult, kidney-only transplant recipients between April 2008 and December 2017 who received their transplant between May 2002 and December 2017.

Measurements

The primary outcome was ongoing or new PPI use and patterns of use, including frequency and duration of therapy, and assessment of indication for PPI use.

Methods

We ascertained baseline characteristics, covariate information, and outcome data from the Alberta Kidney Disease Network (AKDN). We compared recipients with evidence of a PPI prescription in the 3 months prior to study entry to those with a histamine-2-receptor antagonist (H2Ra) fill and those with neither.

Results

We identified 1823 kidney transplant recipients, of whom 868 (48%) were on a PPI, 215 (12%) were on an H2Ra, and 740 (41%) were on neither at baseline. Over a median follow-up of 5.4 years (interquartile range [IQR] = 2.6-9.3), there were almost 45 000 unique PPI prescriptions dispensed, the majority (80%) of which were filled by initial PPI users. Recipients who were on a PPI at baseline would spend 91% (IQR = 70-98) of their graft survival time on a PPI in follow-up, and nephrologists were the main prescribers. We identified an indication for ongoing PPI use in 54% of recipients with the most common indication being concurrent antiplatelet use (26%).

Limitations

Our kidney transplant recipients have access to universal health care coverage which may limit generalizability. We identified common gastrointestinal indications for PPI use but did not include rare conditions due to concerns about the validity of diagnostic codes. In addition, symptoms suggestive of reflux may not be well coded as the focus of follow-up visits is more likely to focus on kidney transplant.

Conclusions

Many kidney transplant recipients are prescribed a PPI at, or beyond, the 1-year post-transplant date and are likely to stay on a PPI in follow-up. Almost half of the recipients in our study did not have an identifiable indication for ongoing PPI use. Nephrologists frequently prescribe PPIs to kidney transplant recipients and should be involved in deprescribing initiatives to reduce polypharmacy.

Comparing safety of proton-pump inhibitors versus H2-receptor antagonists in kidney transplant recipients: A systematic review and meta-analysis

WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVE

Multiple studies have been conducted to compare the safety of proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) and H2-receptor antagonists (H2RAs) as acid-suppressive treatment in kidney transplant recipients with conflicting results. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the risk of adverse effects in kidney transplant patients receiving PPIs compared to those treated with H2RAs.

METHODS

A systematic search was performed on the databases from inception to June 2021. The treatment effects were expressed as odds ratio (OR), weighted mean differences (WMD) and their 95% confidence intervals (CI) and pooled by a random-effects model.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

Eight studies, consisting 4,844 patients, were included. Patients were followed for a mean duration of 23.57 months after transplantation. Compared with H2RAs, PPIs exposure was associated with similar rate of biopsy-proven acute rejection (BPAR) (OR = 1.05, 95% CI 0.83-1.34, p = 0.67), mortality (OR = 1.31, 95% CI 0.56-3.07, p = 0.533), graft loss (OR = 1.06, 95% CI 0.59-1.93, p = 0.842), Clostridioides difficile infection (OR = 1.37, 95% CI 0.49-3.85, p = 0.545) and pneumonia (OR = 1.83, 95% CI 0.95-3.52, p = 0.072). The estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) at 12 months was lower in patients who received PPIs than those treated with H2RAs (WMD = -1.01, 95% CI -1.89 to -0.12 ml/min/1.73m² , p = 0.02). The PPI-treated kidney transplant patients experienced higher rate of antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) (OR = 1.87, 95% CI 1.03-3.04, p = 0.039) and hypomagnesemia (OR = 2.16, 95% CI 1.46-3.20, p ˂ 0.001).

WHAT IS NEW AND CONCLUSIONS

Compared with H2RAs, PPIs were not associated with higher risks of BPAR, mortality, graft loss or infection-related outcomes. However, taking PPIs was associated with higher rates of AMR and hypomagnesemia, and lower eGFR at one year after transplantation. Further well-controlled studies are needed to assess the impact of acid-suppressive strategy on long-term outcomes in KTRs.

Updated Principles of Surgical Management of Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumours (pNETs): What Every Surgeon Needs to Know

Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours (pNETs) represent 1 to 2% of all pancreatic neoplasm with an increasing incidence. They have a varied clinical, biological and radiological presentation, depending on whether they are sporadic or genetic in origin, whether they are functional or non-functional, and whether there is a single or multiple lesions. These pNETs are often diagnosed at an advanced stage with locoregional lymph nodes invasion or distant metastases. In most cases, the gold standard curative treatment is surgical resection of the pancreatic tumour, but the postoperative complications and functional consequences are not negligible. Thus, these patients should be managed in specialised high-volume centres with multidisciplinary discussion involving surgeons, oncologists, radiologists and pathologists. Innovative managements such as "watch and wait" strategies, parenchymal sparing surgery and minimally invasive approach are emerging. The correct use of all these therapeutic options requires a good selection of patients but also a constant update of knowledge. The aim of this work is to update the surgical management of pNETs and to highlight key elements in view of the recent literature.