Title:Non-Infectious Complications of Immunosuppressant Medications in Renal Transplant Patients
Volume: 7
Issue: 4
Author(s): Prasad Bichu and Kunal Chaudhary
Affiliation:
Keywords:
Complications, Immunosuppression, Renal Transplant, development, hypertension, Cardiovascular Disease, Coronary Heart Disease, Cardiomyopathy, Metabolic Syndrome, Post-Transplant Malignancy, Polyclonal Antibodies, Sirolimus, Mycophenolate mofetil.
Abstract: Over the years Renal Transplant has become increasingly successful and fairly routine in terms of availability
to prospective patients. More effective and better tolerated medications have led to decreased adverse immunologic events
after transplant leading to improved graft survival. Moreover, since the last few years renal transplant is being offered to a
wider range of patients with variety of comorbidities, thus making the surveillance of long term complications of
immunosuppression (IS) medications critical for both graft and patient survival.
As the use of newer and more potent medications becomes more wide spread, their adverse effects, interactions amongst
themselves as well as with other medications, are necessary to recognize and follow closely specially in patients with
other comorbidities. Although infections resulting from IS are common; other noninfectious complications cause
significant problems in a transplant patient. Post-transplant, several preexisting risk factors like hypertension (HTN),
dyslipidemia and hyperglycemia usually get exacerbated resulting in accelerated atherosclerosis causing cardiovascular
disease which is the most common cause of death in transplant patients. Some IS medications have been implicated as a
cause for certain malignancies and their close surveillance and timely intervention is an important aspect of care for these
patients. Therefore an understanding of these medications and their adverse effects is of paramount importance for the
successful medical management of these patients. In this manuscript we review the transplant IS and systematically
outline their various noninfectious adverse effects.
