Effects of cyclosporine and tacrolimus on maintenance therapy after renal transplantation

Abstract

The immunosuppressive agents cyclosporine A and tacrolimus have demonstrated efficacy in preventing acute organ rejection after renal transplantation, but no comparative studies of these 2 agents have been published. This study compared the effects of tacrolimus and cyclosporine A on the renal function, blood pressure, and serum glucose and lipid levels of patients who underwent cyclosporine A therapy and C2 monitoring or tacrolimus therapy and standard monitoring during the first 24 months after transplantation. By the end of the follow-up period, no significant difference between either treatment group was noted in the measures of creatine clearance; BUN, glucose, uric acid, and lipid levels; or diastolic blood pressure (P>.05 for all), which were maintained at normal values throughout the study. Systolic blood pressure was significantly lower in the cyclosporine A group at the end of the 1 st month (P<.025) but this difference was not evident at months 6, 12, and 24 (P>.05). These results indicate that tacrolimus and cyclosporine (when combined with C2 monitoring) were equally effective and safe in preventing acute organ rejection.

Frequency of hyperuricemia and effect of calcineurin inhibitors on serum uric acid levels in liver transplanted children

“…In adults, while both of the drugs had similar nephrotoxicity effects, it has been shown that in kidney‐transplanted patients impairment of renal functions after cyclosporine treatment may remain stable or even improve after the switch to tacrolimus (15). There are also studies which show no difference between two drugs in developing hyperuricemia (7, 10, 16).…”