American journal of kidney diseases : the official journal of the National Kidney Foundation
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In the nontransplant setting, acute kidney injury (AKI) may lead to chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage renal disease, but the epidemiology of AKI in transplant recipients has not been characterized. The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence and consequences of AKI in kidney transplant recipients outside the peritransplant period and unrelated to acute rejection. ⋯ We conclude that AKI is increasingly common and associated with transplant failure and death. Later CKD stage increases the risk of AKI, but AKI-associated risks of transplant failure were greater in those with higher levels of kidney function (earlier CKD stage).