Skin lesions in renal transplant patients after 10-23 years of immunosuppressive therapy

Abstract

Ninety-eight patients with 10-23 years of uninterrupted immunosuppressive therapy due to renal transplants were investigated for signs of skin disease. Thirty-seven per cent had or had had premalignant or malignant skin lesions. This is significantly different from a control population (p < 0.0001). There was also a correlation between the length of the immunosuppressive therapy and the risk of acquiring squamous cell skin cancers (p < 0.05). Fifty-five percent had common viral warts at the time of the present examination. The duration of immunosuppressive therapy also correlated with the presence of warts (p < 0.01). Seven patients had mycosis and four patients had seborrheic eczema. In one-third of the patients the skin appeared normal.