title: Reduction of immunosuppressant therapy requirement in heart transplantation by calcitriol.
abstract: Calcitriol has been shown to have immunomodulatory effects. We examined whether heart transplant recipients, randomly assigned to receive calcitriol to reduce bone loss, required less immunosuppressive therapy or demonstrated different rejection and survival outcomes. Patients receiving low-dose calcitriol required substantially lower cumulative doses of cyclosporin (29% [95% confidence interval; 8%-50%] and 28% [7%-50%] for 1 and 2 years, respectively) for organ rejection without any detectable change in episodes of rejection, infection, or deaths. This major reduction of oral cyclosporine requirement, in addition to the skeletal benefits of calcitriol in those receiving immunosuppressive therapy, indicates a potential role for co-therapy with calcitriol or its analogues in the management of patients with solid-organ transplantation.
authors.affiliation: Bone and Mineral Research Program, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: N Kathryn
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Briffa
authors.forename: Anne M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Keogh
authors.forename: Philip N
authors.initials: PN
authors.lastname: Sambrook
authors.forename: John A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Eisman
mesh_terms: D015519:Bone Density / Q000187:drug effects*; D002117:Calcitriol / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002118:Calcium / Q000097:blood; D003404:Creatinine / Q000097:blood; D016572:Cyclosporine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D016027:Heart Transplantation / Q000276:immunology* / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007239:Infections / Q000453:epidemiology; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D011239:Prednisolone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D016572:Cyclosporine; D011239:Prednisolone; D003404:Creatinine; D002117:Calcitriol; D002118:Calcium