Therapeutic role of glucocorticoid in treating CMV severe pneumonia after kidney transplantation / 中华器官移植杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the therapeutic role of glucocorticoid in treating cytomegalovirus (CMV) severe pneumonia after kidney transplantation. Methods Two groups of patients with CMV severe pneumonia after kidney transplantation were analyzed. The therapeutics for 12 patients of group A included the elimination of immunosuppressive agents such as cyclosporine (or tacrolimus) and cellcept, the use of antiviral drug such as gancyclovir, measures to prevent and cure other bacterial and fungal infections, supportive therapies and suck of oxygen or mechanical ventilation by respirators. Except for the above therapies, methylprednisolone was routinely injected to those 14 patients of group B. At the beginning, the dose of methylprednisolone was 120 mg/day to 150 mg/day. Three to five days later, the dose was decreased to 80 mg/day. The dose was further decreased to 40 mg/day when patients’ signs were improved. After patients’ signs were excluded, prednisone was taken orally in place of methylprednisolone. In our patients, methylprednisolone was used for average 12 days, ranging from 8 to 21 days. Results Among the patients of group A, 9 (75 %) were treated with mechanical ventilation by respirators, 7 ( 58.33 %) died and 2 ( 16.67 %) received dialysis due to dysfunction of the transplanted kidneys. Among the patients of group B, 4 ( 28.57 %) were treated with mechanical ventilation by respirators, 2 ( 14.29 %) died and no case with the transplanted kidney loss was found. There were significant differences between the two groups on the probability of using mechanical ventilation by respirators and the mortality (P= 0.047 and P= 0.038 respectively). In the patients of group B, no severe side effects caused by methylprednisolone were found. Conclusion The treatment with proper dose of methylprednisolone may extenuate effectively the inflammatory reaction from the CMV severe pneumonia after kidney transplantation while reduce the rejection related to the absence of other immunosuppressants and decrease the mortality and the rate of transplanted kidney loss.