Skin Infections in 401 Renal Transplant Recipients in Southern Turkey

Abstract

Objectives: Renal transplant recipients are pre­disposed to the development of a variety of skin infections that can result from graft-preserving immunosuppressive therapy. In this study, we aimed to determine the prevalence of skin infections in a group of renal transplant recipients in the Mediterranean region of Turkey.

Materials and Methods: The medical records of 401 patients followed up by the Transplantation Center at Akdeniz University in Antalya, Turkey, were used in a retrospective analysis. The prevalence of skin infections was calculated, and the effects of age, sex, and time after transplant on skin infections were evaluated.

Results: Of the patients studied, 220 (54.9%) had a skin infection. Of 280 infections identified in those individuals, 180 (64.3%) were fungal, 77 (27.5%) were viral, and 23 (8.2%) were bacterial. Pityriasis versicolor was present in 95 patients (23.7%), human papillomavirus infection in 44 (11%), onychomycosis in 23 (5.7%), and fungal toe-web infection in 20 (5%). The duration of immunosuppression significantly affected the prevalence of skin infections, and the mean interval for the development of fungal infections after transplant was earlier than that for viral or bacterial infections (25.8 ± 29.3, 50.7 ± 36.7, and 52.1 ± 47.9 months, respectively).

Conclusions: In this study, pityriasis versicolor was the most common skin infection in renal transplant recipients in our region. Except for the higher prevalence of superficial fungal infections, the overall results in our population agree with those of other similar series.