Cytomegalovirus infection and kidney transplantation- A retrospective study of risk factors and long-term clinical outcome

Aim: The aim was to study the clinical characteristics of postrenal transplant cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection and analyze its risk factors and its impact on graft and patient survival. Materials and Methods: We reviewed medical records of 739 renal transplant patients over 17 years (2002–2018). The demographic characteristics of patients were collected and compared with and without CMV infection. Multiple logistic regression analysis was done to identify risk factors for posttransplant CMV infection. Kaplan–Meier survival curve analysis was performed to analyze graft and patient survival by CMV infection. Results: The prevalence of CMV infection in our center was 12.4%. The most common presentation of CMV infection posttransplant is CMV syndrome. The use of antirejection therapy (hazard ratio [HR] 4.2, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.6–6.9, P = 0.00), and new-onset diabetes after transplantation (NODAT) (HR 5.95, 95% CI 3.4–10, P = 0.00) was independently associated with postrenal transplant CMV infection. In Kaplan–Meier survival analysis, death-censored graft survival was significantly superior in patients without CMV infection/disease (CMV group: 55.4% vs. non-CMV group: 70.6% at 140 months P = 0.046). Patient survival was also significantly superior in patients without CMV infection (CMV group :59.8% vs. non-CMV group: 75.9% at 140 months P = 0.016). Conclusions: The use of antirejection therapy and NODAT are strong risk factors for developing CMV infection. Posttransplant CMV infection has a significant negative impact on graft and patient survival