title: Successful immunosuppression of renal allograft recipients with alternate day steroid therapy.
abstract: Twenty-five renal transplant recipients have been treated long-term with immunosuppressive therapy with conversion from a daily dose to an every other day dose of steroids in conjunction with daily administration of Imuran. The patients were selected by having stable grafts for 6 to 9 months prior to conversion, not by the presence of steroid-induced complications. Alternate day steroid administration has continued to provide successful immunosuppression in that only of 25 patients (4%) has had any evidence of renewed rejection activity during a treatment interval of 7--95 months, median 22 months and mean 28 months. One graft was lost to an acute rejection reaction that occurred in association with a flu-like syndrome 8 months after the conversion was started. It is concluded that in the patient with documented stability of the graft, every other day steroid administration is a successful immunosuppressive regimen.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002102:Cadaver; D002648:Child; D003404:Creatinine / Q000097:blood; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D007165:Immunosuppression Therapy; D016030:Kidney Transplantation; D008875:Middle Aged; D011241:Prednisone / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D014181:Transplantation Immunology; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous
chemical_list: D003404:Creatinine; D011241:Prednisone