Diarrhea is common after kidney transplantation and is usually related to immunosuppressive medication or is infective in etiology. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is rare after kidney transplantation and is unexpected because the patient is already immunosuppressed. Specific immunomodulatory actions of calcineurin inhibitors have been hypothesized to play a role in the development of IBD in such patients. We report a case of IBD developing de novo after kidney transplantation. Our case is unique in that the patient was not on calcineurin inhibitors for 8 years prior to the development of IBD.
Keywords: Immunosuppression; kidney transplantation; ulcerative colitis.