Cost-benefit of steroid avoidance in renal transplant patients: a prospective randomized study

Steroids have played a major role in renal transplantation for more than four decades. However, chronic use of steroids is associated with a lot of comorbidities. This study aimed to assess the cost-benefit of steroid-free immunosuppression regimen in a prospective randomized controlled study of live donor renal transplantation, which was lacking in the literature.

One-hundred patients were randomized to receive tacrolimus (Tac), mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), basiliximab (Simulect) induction and steroids only for 3 days (50 patients, study group) or Tac, MMF, Simulect induction and steroid maintenance (50 patients, control group). Median follow-up was 12 months.

Both groups showed comparable graft and patient survival, rejection episodes and graft function. Post-transplant hypertension was detected in 4% of the steroid-free group and 24% of the steroid maintenance group (p = 0.0009), while post-transplant diabetes mellitus was detected in 4% and 16% of these two groups, respectively (p = 0.037). By the end of the first year, the cost of managing post-transplant morbidities was significantly higher in the steroid maintenance group, despite the comparable cost of immunosuppression.

Among low immunological risk recipients of live donor renal transplants, steroid avoidance was feasible, safe and with less morbidity, using Simulect induction, and tacrolimus and MMF as maintenance immunosuppression. Steroid avoidance was associated with a lower total cost despite comparable immunosuppression cost, which was attributed to the lower cost of associated morbidities.