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Immunosuppressive Medications in Kidney Transplantation

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Adolescents with Chronic Kidney Disease

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Abstract

While acute rejection and short-term graft survival have improved in the modern era of renal transplantation, gains in long-term graft survival have been more limited. This is, in part, due to the nephrotoxic effect of many posttransplant medications, such as the calcineurin inhibitors. Moreover, side effects of other immunosuppressive medications such as corticosteroids have contributed to significant morbidity and mortality, especially from their effects on cardiovascular health. The past two decades have seen much innovation in the use of immunosuppressive strategies to facilitate minimal exposure to these potent but potentially toxic medications. This chapter discusses some of the common immunosuppressive medications and strategies that are being used for induction and maintenance therapy in children and adolescents following transplantation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, University of California Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, CA, USA

    Lavjay Butani

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Correspondence to Lavjay Butani .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatric Nephrology, UC Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, CA, USA

    Maha N. Haddad

  2. Department of Pediatrics, Division of Nephrology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Erica Winnicki

  3. Department of Pediatrics, UC Davis Children’s Hospital, Sacramento, CA, USA

    Stephanie Nguyen

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Butani, L. (2019). Immunosuppressive Medications in Kidney Transplantation. In: Haddad, M., Winnicki, E., Nguyen, S. (eds) Adolescents with Chronic Kidney Disease. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-97220-6_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-97220-6_14

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