title: [Cyclosporin in autoimmune diseases].
abstract: At a symposium held in Zurich in November 1993, a series of presentations covered the optimal use of cyclosporin A (CsA) in autoimmune diseases. Besides its immunosuppressive effects in organ transplantation, CsA appears to be active in a variety of autoimmune disorders. Its most pronounced and beneficial clinical effects are seen in patients with severe rheumatoid arthritis. New clinical studies include the nephrotic syndrome in children and patients with systemic lupus erythematodes. The main concern remains CsA induced nephrotoxicity. For the treatment of autoimmune disorders CsA can be used at lower doses (< or = 5 mg/kg per day) than in transplantation medicine. Thus, monitoring of CsA blood concentrations is not usually necessary. The galenics of CsA has been optimized recently, an achievement which will further improve the clinical use of CsA. Due to increased knowledge of intracellular CsA binding proteins and of effects of CsA on T-lymphocytes and cytokine production, it can be expected that novel immunosuppressive compounds will be developed.
authors.affiliation: Department für Innere Medizin, Universitätsspital Zürich.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Follath
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fontana
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Leumann
authors.forename: B A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Michel
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Miescher
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schreier
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schroeder
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wenk
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000188:drug therapy; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy*; D002648:Child; D016572:Cyclosporine / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D007674:Kidney Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000188:drug therapy; D009404:Nephrotic Syndrome / Q000188:drug therapy
chemical_list: D016572:Cyclosporine
vernacular_title: Ciclosporin bei Autoimmunkrankheiten.