title: Lipid abnormalities in stable liver transplant recipients--effects of cyclosporin, tacrolimus, and steroids.
abstract: Dyslipidemia is common after liver transplantation, but the underlying mechanisms are largely unknown. We studied the lipid profile of 27 liver transplant recipients randomized to received either cyclosporin (CyA, n = 14) or tacrolimus (n = 13) and compared them with 20 healthy, matched controls. Before transplantation, patients presented low total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (as compared to controls) that increased shortly, i.e., 3 months, after transplantation. Eighteen months post-transplantation, total and LDL cholesterol levels decreased to pre-transplant values but tended to remain higher in CyA-treated patients. However, at that time, prednisone treatment was more prevalent among CyA-treated than tacrolimus-treated patients and fully accounted for the difference in cholesterol levels. Indeed, regardless of therapy, patients not receiving prednisone exhibited lower cholesterol levels than prednisone-treated patients and controls. We conclude that prednisone therapy, rather than CyA or tacrolimus immunosuppression, seems to be the major determinant of increased cholesterol levels.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fernández-Miranda
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Guijarro
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: de la Calle
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Loinaz
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Gonzalez-Pinto
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gómez-Izquierdo
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Larumbe
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Moreno
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: del Palacio
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D015243:Cholesterol, VLDL / Q000097:blood; D016572:Cyclosporine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood*; D016031:Liver Transplantation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011241:Prednisone / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016559:Tacrolimus / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D015243:Cholesterol, VLDL; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D008055:Lipids; D014280:Triglycerides; D016572:Cyclosporine; D011241:Prednisone; D016559:Tacrolimus