Graft outcomes following immunosuppressive therapy with different combinations in kidney transplant recipients: A nationwide cohort study

Yung Fong Tsai, Fu Chao Liu, Chang Fu Kuo, Ting Ting Chung, Huang Ping Yu*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal Article peer-review

6 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background: Immunosuppression plays an essential role to overcome immune-related allograft rejection, but it also causes some nephrotoxicity. This study aimed to investigate how the immu-nosuppressant combinations affect graft outcomes in kidney transplant recipients. Methods: A nationwide population-based cohort study using the Taiwan National Health Insurance Database was conducted. A total of 3,441 kidney transplant recipients who underwent kidney transplantation during the targeted period were included. The effects on graft outcomes contributed by conventional immunosuppressants, including corticosteroid, calcineurin inhibitors, antimetabolite purine antagonists, and mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitors, were compared. Results: A total of 423 graft failures developed after the index date. Therapy regimens incorporated with purine antagonists had a comparable reduction of graft failure among four main drug groups regardless of whether they were given as monotherapy or in combination (adjusted hazard ratio: 0.52, 95% confidence interval: 0.42–0.63). Corticosteroid was found to have inferior effects among four groups (adjusted hazard ratio: 1.67, 95% confidence interval: 1.28–2.21). Furthermore, all 15 arrangements of mutually exclusive treatment combinations were analyzed by referencing with corticosteroid monotherapy. As referenced with steroid-based treatment, regimens incorporated with purine antagonists all have superior advantage on graft survival regardless of whether given in monotherapy (65% of graft failure reduced), dual therapy (48%–67% reduced), or quadruple therapy (43% reduced). In all triple therapies, only corticosteroid combined with calcineurin inhibitor and purine antagonist demonstrated superior protection on graft survival (52% of graft failure reduced). Conclusion: The results may recommend several superior regimens for contributing to graft survival, and for supporting a steroid-minimizing strategy in immunosuppression maintenance.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1099-1110
Number of pages12
JournalTherapeutics and Clinical Risk Management
Volume14
DOIs
StatePublished - 12 06 2018

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 Tsai et al.

Keywords

  • Chronic rejection
  • Corticosteroid
  • Graft survival
  • Purine antagonist
  • Steroid-minimizing strategy

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