Improved survival-rates in presensitised recipients of kidney transplants by immunosuppression with maternal-source gamma-globulin.
The effect on cadaver-kidney transplant survival-rates of a gamma-globulin concentrate, prepared from clotted blood centrifugally expressed from placental tissue recovered from postpartum women, was evaluated in a prospective controlled trial in 195 patients who were also given a standard immunosuppressive regimen. Allograft-survival rates were analysed according to whether or not the recipient had lymphocytotoxic antibodies before transplantation (responders) and whether the graft was a first or second transplant. The graft-survival rate was improved in responder-type recipients of first transplants who had received the gamma-globulin concentrate as adjunctive therapy (control group 28.8+/-10.1% vs. gamma-globulin 55.5 + 9.7% at 2 years, p less than 0.05). The survival-rate of grafts in non-responders was not affected by administration of gamma-globulin and data on its use in recipients of a second graft were insufficient for analysis. These results suggest that the gamma-globulin concentrate was suppressing immunological responses associated with humoral-type rejection.
D000328:Adult; D001379:Azathioprine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006085:Graft Survival; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007273:Injections, Intramuscular; D016030:Kidney Transplantation; D008297:Male; D010920:Placenta / Q000098:blood supply; D011182:Postoperative Care; D049590:Postpartum Period; D011241:Prednisone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011247:Pregnancy; D011300:Preoperative Care; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous
D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D001379:Azathioprine; D011241:Prednisone