Joint effusions after kidney transplantation

Abstract

Thirty-seven consecutive renal transplant recipients were studied prospectively for joint disease. Six developed arthralgias while corticosteroid doses were being lowered. Eleven patients (30%) developed knee effusions at a mean interval of 10 days following transplantation. Synovial fluids were colorless or very pale yellow, with few leukocytes (mean, 28/mm3). These benign transudative effusions did not correlate with immunologic abnormalities, transplant rejection, crystal deposition, or avascular necrosis and may have been due to high dose oral corticosteroid therapy.Musculoskeletal complaints have been noted in up to 30% of patients receiving kidney transplants (1-4). Although aseptic necrosis has received the most atten-

A Case of Cytomegalovirus-Induced Arthritis after Lymphocyte-Depleting Therapy for Kidney Allograft Rejection

“…Additionally, idiopathic transudative effusions have been described in a case series of 37 kidney transplant recipients at Indiana University that had 11 cases of arthritis with effusion. Sampling revealed that all effusions were transudative, free of crystals, and had an average WBC count of 28 cells/uL [6]. The differential diagnosis of post-transplant arthralgia is presented in Table 1.…”