Cyclosporine and trends in kidney transplantation

• Published in: Clinical transplants p. 223
• Main Author: Cicciarelli, J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 1986
• Subjects: Cyclosporins - therapeutic use; Graft Survival; HLA Antigens; Humans; Kidney Transplantation - immunology; Kidney Transplantation - trends
• ISSN: 0890-9016

1. In the past 4 years there has been a definite trend to increase the number of first cadaver transplants using cyclosporine. In 1985, three fourths of the patients were treated with cyclosporine. 2. One-day, one-week, and one-month function data show that there is no increased nonfunction associated with the use of cyclosporine, and in those cases with a nonfunctioning kidney, one-year survival is higher with cyclosporine treatment compared with those patients who are not treated with cyclosporine. 3. Fewer patients treated with cyclosporine are transfused or A,B,DR matched compared with similar groups of noncyclosporine-treated patients. 4. Since the advent of cyclosporine, more kidneys have been used locally and, in addition, ischemia times are lower for cadaver kidneys. In addition, more diabetics are being transplanted with better results. 5. Cyclosporine does not seem to have an effect in living-related transplants that are one- or two-haplotype matched. There may possibly be deleterious effects associated with living-related transplants and the use of cyclosporine. 6. Patient survival since 1972 has increased one to two percentage points each year to the present time. This increase in patient survival is probably associated with those factors that strongly influence graft outcome (i.e., patient care, transfusions, matching, and immunosuppressive therapy).