Costs of Treatment of Acute Antibody-Mediated Rejection in Kidney Transplant Recipients

Background. Antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) remains challenging in kidney transplant recipients. It may negatively impact the graft survival, and its treatment is associated to relatively high expenses. The aim of our study was to assess the costs of treatment of acute AMR in the Polish settings. Methods. A total of 11 kidney transplant recipients with acute AMR diagnosed between September 2016 and August 2019 and treated in our center were included. Direct costs of inpatient and outpatient care in the first year after AMR diagnosis from the perspective of a transplant center were retrospectively calculated. Results. The costs of treatment of acute AMR were considerably high, with a mean 1-month cost of treatment 12,718 PLN ((sic) 2925; (sic) 3307 US dollars). That means that costs of management of kidney transplant recipients with acute AMR are almost 2-fold higher than hemodialysis. Intravenous immunoglobulin was responsible for the majority (55%) of costs. Conclusions. Treatment of acute AMR increases the costs of post-kidney transplant care in involved patients. Therefore, efforts should be made to minimize the risk for acute AMR. Despite its potential clinical benefits, management of acute AMR is even more expensive than dialysis. Therefore, further cost-effectiveness analyses are needed to justify the spending and to establish the best treatment regimens.

Automated summary

This study assessed the costs of treating acute AMR in the Polish settings, finding that the treatment costs are considerably high and nearly double that of hemodialysis. Intravenous immunoglobulin was the main contributing factor to these costs.