Symptomatic, endoscopic and histological assessment of upper gastrointestinal tract in renal transplant recipients.

Objective: To assess the prevalence of gastrointestinal symptoms, endoscopic findings, and histological abnormalities in renal transplant recipients.

Methods: Teaching hospital in northern Jordan. Methods: Seventy-six renal transplant recipients with stable renal function were interviewed for gastrointestinal symptoms, and underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy; gastric antral biopsies were evaluated for inflammatory changes and the presence of Helicobacter pylori. One hundred consecutive patients attending the general medical outpatient for various medical problems served as controls; 41 of them consented to undergo endoscopy and biopsy examination.

Results: Upper gastrointestinal symptoms were present in 50% of patients compared to 47% of controls (p=0.80). Endoscopic abnormalities were found in 71% versus 63.4%. One patient in each group had duodenal ulcer. H. pylori were found in 60.5% versus 46.3% (p=0.20), and histological gastritis in 40 (52.6%) with acute inflammatory changes in 22 (28.9%), compared to 21 (51.2%) and 15 (36.6%) controls, respectively. Monilial and cytomegalovirus esophagitis were found in 2 (2.6%) and one patient, respectively.

Conclusions: Prevalence of gastrointestinal symptoms and endoscopic and histological findings in stable renal transplant recipients are similar to those in controls. Also, there was no increase in opportunistic infections of the gastrointestinal tract or of gastric H. pylori in these patients.