[Transient stopping immunosuppressive agents during the post-transplant pulmonary infection does not affect the long-term outcome of renal transplantation].
OBJECTIVE
To determine the effect of transient withdrawal of immunosuppressive agents during the treatment of pulmonary infection on long-term survival of patients and graft s.


METHODS
A total of 104 patients with post-transplant pulmonary infection were enrolled in this study. These patients received renal transplantation in Center for Organ Transplantation, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, during December 2005 and August 2014. Among them, 50 patients stopped immunosuppressive agents during the treatment of infection. These patients served as stopping drug (SD) group, whereas the remaining patients who served as a control group did not stop immunosuppressive drugs. The five-year cumulative patient survival, graft survival, and laboratory results were compared between the 2 groups.


RESULTS
The five-year cumulative patient survival rates in the SD group were significantly lower than those in the control group [(69.8 ± 7.0)% vs (94.2 ± 3.2)%, P=0.001]. There was no significant difference in the allograft survival rates between the 2 groups [(81.7 ± 6.6)% vs (90.9 ± 4.3)%, P=0.113]. In patients who survived from pulmonary infection, there was no significant difference in long-term survival rates between the 2 groups (P=0.979).


CONCLUSIONS
Pulmonary infection impacts allograft survival after patients underwent renal transplantation. Transient stopping immunosuppressive agents during the treatment of infection is a safe and necessary treatment strategy for patients with serious post-transplant pulmonary infection.
Center for Organ Transplantation, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, China.
Bo
B
Yang
Xiang
X
Ding
Jinliang
J
Xie
Cheng
C
Zhou
Xiangrong
X
Zhu
D006084:Graft Rejection; D006085:Graft Survival; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D016030:Kidney Transplantation; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000628:therapy*; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D015996:Survival Rate; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous
D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents