title: Steroid withdrawal in living donor renal transplant recipients using tacrolimus and cyclosporine: a randomized prospective study.
abstract: Steroids have been a mainstay of immunosuppressive regimens in renal transplantation despite their adverse effects. The introduction of new immunosuppressant has improved the survival rates and prompted trials of steroid withdrawal. We conducted a randomized prospective study to compare steroid withdrawal at 6 months post-transplant between tacrolimus + mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) (FK group) versus cyclosporine A + MMF (CsA group). Steroid was withdrawn at 6 months post-transplant under the condition of no rejection episode proven by biopsy and maintenance of serum creatinine level <2.0 mg/dl. Fourteen recipients were excluded because of acute rejection within 6 months or protocol violation. Steroid could be tapered off in 62 in FK group and 55 in CsA. Three cases in FK group and five in CsA had acute rejection within another 6 months after steroid withdrawal (P > 0.05). At 12 months, the incidence of post-transplant diabetes was 18.6% vs. 8.0% in FK and CsA group. And hypercholesterolemia was presented in 8.5% vs. 2.0%, hypertension in 47.5% vs. 56.0%, and serum creatinine level 1.18 +/- 0.24 mg/dl vs. 1.18 +/- 0.20 mg/dl, respectively (P > 0.05). Steroid withdrawal may be carried out successfully using both FK and CsA with MMF, but long-term follow-up is necessary.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University, School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Jae Berm
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Sung-Joo
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Ha Young
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.forename: Young Seok
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Doo Jin
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jin Wan
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Choon Hyuck
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Kwon
authors.forename: Jae-Won
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Joh
authors.forename: Suk-Koo
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016572:Cyclosporine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D019520:Living Donors; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013256:Steroids / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016559:Tacrolimus / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D013256:Steroids; D016572:Cyclosporine; D016559:Tacrolimus