Renal Complications After Pediatric Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Background/Objectives: Kidney-related complications contribute substantially to morbidity in children undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), although evidence in pediatric populations remains limited. This study aimed to evaluate the incidence of acute kidney injury (AKI), chronic kidney disease (CKD), and hypertension within the first two years following HSCT and to investigate factors associated with these complications.

Methods

We retrospectively analyzed 70 pediatric patients who underwent HSCT at the İnönü University Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplantation Unit between November 2017 and December 2023; patients who died during follow-up were excluded. Renal function was assessed using serum creatinine, the glomerular filtration rate was measured by 24-h urine collection or estimated using the Schwartz formula, and renal imaging was performed. The Acute Kidney Injury Network criteria were used to classify AKI, whereas CKD was defined according to the Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative criteria. Associations with demographic characteristics, primary disease, conditioning regimen, nephrotoxic drug exposure, graft-versus-host disease, veno-occlusive disease, and infections were evaluated.