Abstract
A total of nineteen biochemical parameters were evaluated in 41 patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) before, and up to 1 year after, renal transplantation in order to determine the temporal profile of normalization of abnormal values. The results were compared with those from 34 matched healthy volunteers. In CRF patients, mean values of random blood sugar, urea, creatinine, uric acid, potassium ions, phosphate, total bilirubin and alkaline phosphatase were abnormally high while those of sodium ions and albumin were low. During the 1 year period following transplantation, patients without acute rejection generally experienced time-dependent normalization of values for creatinine, phosphate, urea, alkaline phosphatase, lactase dehydrogenase and K+. No significant change occurrred for total bilirubin and albumin while the values of random blood sugar, uric acid and calcium ions deteriorated. All other parameters were normal both before and up to 1 year after transplantation, and subsequently alkaline phosphatase (92.3%) was within normal limits, while uric acid was minimal (11.5%). In addition recipients of living donor kidneys had significantly better values than cadaveric kidney recipients. The results confirm biochemical abnormalities in CRF patients and show that many abnormalities persist, even in patients who had good graft function throughout, 1 year after transplantation. Recipients of living donor kidneys generally had a better recovery profile than cadaveric recipients.