Mucocutaneous lesions in renal transplant recipients in Erbil City

Abstract

Background & objectives: Cutaneous manifestations may appear after kidney transplantation such as skin cancer and skin infections. Long-term use of the immunosuppressive drug could be a reason for developing and/or increasing incidence of the skin manifestations. The aim of this study is to describe the prevalence of skin and mucosal lesions in renal transplanted patients and evaluating the effect of immunosuppression on the skin. Methods: a cross-sectional study was performed on 122 kidney transplant recipients of different ages of both sexes. A thorough examination was performed by a dermatologist to detect and describe the lesions, then a diagnosis was based on the clinical and morphological features. Results: Of 122 patients, 121 (99.2%) suffered from at least one skin disease. The most common diseases were the infections which include: - folliculitis 13 (10.7%) patients, wart 26 (21.3%) patients, tinea pedis 17 (13.9%) patients and scabies 1 (0.8%) patient. Among the evaluated patients, 26.2% of patients had premalignant and malignant diseases. Cutaneous side effects of immunosuppressive drugs were observed in 103 (84.4%) patients. The most common drug-related lesion was hypertrichosis in 44 (36.1) patients. Nail changes were seen in 35 (28.7%) patients, the most common nail changes were absent lunula 11 (9.0%) and onychomycosis 9 (7.4%) patients. Conclusions: The majority of kidney transplanted patients have skin manifestation. Skin lesions are a major problem for patients after kidney transplantation due to a secondary effect of immunosuppressive drugs.