title: Treatment of acute allograft rejection with high doses of corticosteroids.
abstract: Sixty-four rejection crises in 55 kidney transplant patients were treated with high doses of corticosteroids, either 1) prednisone, administered orally in doses ranging between 150 and 600mh/day;2)methylprednisolone, administered i.v. in doses of 0.5 to 1 g/day (total dose: 2 to 8 g); or 3) methylprednisone administered i.v. in the same dosage in combination with heparin 5000 U/day. Acute rejection was reversed successfully in 60% of the crises without any apparent difference between the three treatment groups. Nineteen patients died from steroid-related complications. A total methylprednisolone dosage exceeding 3 to 5 h apparently was not accompanied by a sufficiently improved therapeutic response to warrant the high risk of such treatment.
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000328:Adult; D001379:Azathioprine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002102:Cadaver; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006493:Heparin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D007677:Kidney Function Tests; D016030:Kidney Transplantation; D008297:Male; D008775:Methylprednisolone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000188:drug therapy; D011241:Prednisone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013386:Succinates / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous
chemical_list: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D013386:Succinates; D006493:Heparin; D001379:Azathioprine; D011241:Prednisone; D008775:Methylprednisolone