Kidney transplantation in human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients: a report of two cases and a review of the literatures

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection was traditionally considered an absolute contraindication for transplantation because of concerns about HIV disease progression due to immunosuppression. Since potent antiretroviral therapies (ARTs) have become widely available, the prognosis of HIV-infected kidney transplant recipients has dramatically improved. Recent results of prospective multicenter trials on kidney transplantation (KT) in HIV-positive candidates have demonstrated the success and challenges of transplantation in this population. Several studies have reported comparable patient and graft outcomes between HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected recipients after KT in the era of potent combined ARTs. We report two cases of HIV-infected patients who underwent KT at our hospital. In this paper, we present a detailed report of two cases and provide a short review of the existing literature.