title: Long-term effects of steroid withdrawal in kidney transplantation.
abstract: The long-term graft function after withdrawal of steroids from maintenance immunosuppression was analyzed in 98 kidney recipients (59 on cyclosporin monotherapy, 39 on cyclosporin plus azathioprine) who had not developed an early rejection episode when prednisolone was discontinued. Seven years after steroid withdrawal the probability of an increase in serum creatinine (> 20% of baseline levels) was 51%. The increase in creatinine was associated with sclerosing arteriopathy as a marker of chronic rejection in 29 of 43 graft biopsies. The addition of azathioprine had no effect on the stability of long-term graft function and did not influence the 7-year graft survival rate in this highly selected group of patients.
authors.affiliation: Klinikum Steglitz, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Offermann
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schwarz
authors.forename: P H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Krause
mesh_terms: D001379:Azathioprine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003404:Creatinine / Q000097:blood; D016572:Cyclosporine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000139:chemically induced*; D006085:Graft Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D007668:Kidney / Q000187:drug effects; D016030:Kidney Transplantation; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D011239:Prednisolone / Q000009:adverse effects*; D013375:Substance Withdrawal Syndrome
chemical_list: D016572:Cyclosporine; D011239:Prednisolone; D003404:Creatinine; D001379:Azathioprine