title: Benefits of quadruple immunosuppressive therapy in recipients of living related donor kidneys. A review of 855 operations.
abstract: Eight hundred fifty-five living related donor transplant recipients were analyzed according to 15 potential risk factors with regard to patient and graft survival according to immunosuppression. Group I, 1968 to 1983, (n = 440 patients) received azathioprine and prednisone; group II, 1984 to 1987, (n = 229 patients) received triple therapy--azathioprine, prednisone, and cyclosporine; and group III, 1988-1991, (n = 186 patients), quadruple therapy--azathioprine, prednisone, cyclosporine, and Minnesota antilymphocyte globulin. Three important risk factors included immunosuppression, tissue typing, and race. Groups II and III had improved allograft survival over group I (p = 0.03). Patients with two haplotype matches had similar survival in all three groups. Kidney survival in one-haplotype-matched recipients improved in group II and was equal to that of the two-haplotype-matched patients in group III. Cyclosporine improved allograft survival in both races when combined with azathioprine and prednisone. Quadruple therapy improved early survival in one-haplotype black patients, even though long-term results remained better in whites. Cyclosporine did not improve graft survival in two-haplotype recipients. The addition of cyclosporine and quadruple therapy did not increase morbidity and mortality rates.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of Alabama School of Medicine, Birmingham 35294.
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Diethelm
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Laskow
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Hudson
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Deierhoi
authors.forename: W H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Barber
authors.forename: B O
authors.initials: BO
authors.lastname: Barger
authors.forename: B A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Julian
authors.forename: R S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Gaston
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Curtis
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000961:Antilymphocyte Serum / Q000008:administration & dosage; D001379:Azathioprine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002648:Child; D016572:Cyclosporine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006085:Graft Survival; D006648:Histocompatibility; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000401:mortality; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011241:Prednisone / Q000008:administration & dosage; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D015996:Survival Rate; D014019:Tissue Donors
chemical_list: D000961:Antilymphocyte Serum; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D016572:Cyclosporine; D001379:Azathioprine; D011241:Prednisone