title: HLA-DRW6 and treatment of acute rejection with antithymocyte globulin.
abstract: The influence of DRw6-antigen on graft survival was studied in a single-center study in 223 recipients of a cadaveric kidney. Although graft survival in 148 DRw6-negative recipients was not significantly different from that in 75 DRw6-positive recipients, the percentage of patients without a rejection episode in the first three months after grafting was significantly less in the DRw6-negative recipients (p = 0.03). In DRw6-positive patients who had received rabbit antithymocyte globulin (RATG) as the first antirejection treatment, graft survival was significantly better than in prednisone-treated DRw6-positive recipients. In the DRw6-negative patients RATG treatment also gave better results, but these differences were not significant. When RATG-treated patients were excluded from the analysis, the difference in graft survival between DRw6-negative and DRw6-positive patients became apparent (p = 0.03). These findings show that the negative influence of the DRw6 antigen present in the recipients is counterbalanced by the beneficial effect of RATG treatment for first rejection episodes.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000961:Antilymphocyte Serum / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000187:drug effects*; D015808:HLA-DR6 Antigen; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D016030:Kidney Transplantation; D008297:Male; D011241:Prednisone / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000961:Antilymphocyte Serum; D015808:HLA-DR6 Antigen; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II; D011241:Prednisone