Steroid Avoidance or Withdrawal Regimens in Paediatric Kidney Transplantation: A Meta-Analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials |
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Authors: | Huanxi Zhang Yitao Zheng Longshan Liu Qian Fu Jun Li Qingshan Huang Huijiao Liu Ronghai Deng Changxi Wang |
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Affiliation: | 1. Organ Transplant Center, the First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China;2. Medical Information Institute, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China;3. Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China;University of Toledo, UNITED STATES |
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Abstract: | BackgroundWe combined the outcomes of all randomised controlled trials to investigate the safety and efficacy of steroid avoidance or withdrawal (SAW) regimens in paediatric kidney transplantation compared with steroid-based (SB) regimens.MethodsA systematic literature search of PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, the trials registry and BIOSIS previews was performed. A change in the height standardised Z-score from baseline (ΔHSDS) and acute rejection were the primary endpoints.ResultsEight reports from 5 randomised controlled trials were included, with a total of 528 patients. Sufficient evidence of a significant increase in the ΔHSDS was observed in the SAW group (mean difference (MD) = 0.38, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.07–0.68, P = 0.01), particularly within the first year post-withdrawal (MD = 0.22, 95% CI 0.10–0.35, P = 0.0003) and in the prepubertal recipients (MD = 0.60, 95% CI 0.21–0.98, P = 0.002). There was no significant difference in the risk of acute rejection between the groups (relative risk = 1.04, 95% CI 0.80–1.36, P = 0.77).ConclusionsThe SAW regimen is justified in select paediatric renal allograft recipients because it provides significant benefits in post-transplant growth within the first year post-withdrawal with minimal effects on the risk of acute rejection, graft function, and graft and patient survival within 3 years post-withdrawal. These select paediatric recipients should have the following characteristics: prepubertal; Caucasian; with primary disease not related to immunological factors; de novo kidney transplant recipient; with low panel reactive antibody. |
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