Perspectives and the pathology of human renal allografts

Abstract

The growing importance of kidney disease with regard to its morbidity and mortality is discussed. The commonest cause of chronic renal failure necessitating a renal transplant is chronic glomerulonephritis. The technical problems of renal allograft transplantation have been solved on the immunologic responses in man tend to reject the transplanted organ. Both cellular and humoral immunity mediate allograft rejection. Tissue typing and cross matching, methods for suppression of allograft rejection have helped to overcome transplant rejection to some extent. A renal biopsy is of diagnostic value in diagnosing hyperacute, acute and chronic rejection from those with impaired renal function of uncertain cause. The future lines of research in allograft transplantation have to be directed towards alleviating the immunological response elicited by the graft without suppressing the immunological response to other antigens.