Post-transplant steroid therapy: Unneeded?

CINCINNATI, Oct. 22 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers say the use of modern immunosuppressive drugs eliminates the need for steroid therapy as early as seven days following a kidney transplant.

Dr. Steve Woodle of the University of Cincinnati, who led the study, said elimination of a daily dose of steroids following transplantation minimizes chronic health conditions common to kidney transplant recipients.

"Steroids have long been the primary source of morbidity and complications following successful kidney transplantation," Woodle said. "This study demonstrates that elimination of even small, daily prednisone doses does not compromise results, while minimizing weight gain, diabetes and bone complications."

Woodle said traditionally organ transplant recipients have required life-long steroid treatments to suppress the body's immune system and allow the transplanted organ to function properly. But the steroid treatments themselves can produce serious side effects, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cataracts.

The new study, however, showed early steroid elimination caused a reduction in many steroid-related complications.

The study -- believed the longest-running, double-blinded study of its kind in the transplant field -- also involved researchers from the University of Wisconsin; the University of Utah, the Methodist Hospital of Houston and Weill Cornell Medical College.

The findings appear in the journal Annals of Surgery.