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Rapid steroid withdrawal in hepatitis C virus‐positive kidney transplant recipients
Author(s) -
Akalin Enver,
Murphy Barbara,
Sehgal Vinita,
Ames Scott,
Daly Lisa,
Bromberg Jonathan S
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
clinical transplantation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.918
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1399-0012
pISSN - 0902-0063
DOI - 10.1111/j.1399-0012.2004.00177.x
Subject(s) - medicine , thymoglobulin , basiliximab , prednisone , gastroenterology , liver transplantation , creatinine , kidney transplantation , prospective cohort study , transplantation , calcineurin , surgery , renal function , methylprednisolone , urology
The effects of rapid steroid withdrawal (SW) on kidney transplantation (KT) outcome were investigated in 12 HCV+ patients in a prospective cohort study. These results were compared with 17 HCV+ patients who received KT in the prior 2 yr and treated with a standard prednisone taper protocol. SW patients received only 6 d of steroid treatment after transplantation. Eleven received Thymoglobulin and one Basiliximab induction treatment along with a calcineurin inhibitor and mycophenolate mofetil. Patient and graft survival was 92% in SW group (median follow‐up 12 months, range 6–17), and 92 and 82% in the historic control group respectively (median follow‐up 21 months, range 11–27). In the SW and control group, acute rejection rates were 9 and 18%, and mean creatinine levels at last follow‐up 1.30 ± 0.36 and 1.68 ± 0.58 mg/dL respectively. Only two SW patients had an increase in liver function tests during follow‐up (18%), compared with six patients in the control group (43%). This study demonstrates that rapid SW is safe for HCV+ KT recipients, without an increase in acute rejection episodes or liver function abnormalities in the short term.