Risk-benefit ratio in immunosuppression

• nephrotoxicity is part of the risk-benefit ratio for calcineurin inhibitors

• there is a long list of long-term risks of malignancies—cervical cell carcinoma; squamous cell carcinoma of the skin in both genders

• availability of alternate therapies. dialysis is an option for patients with chronic renal failure, but there is no similar option for heart or liver transplant patients

• clinical experience helps to guide decisions re intensification vs. taper of drug therapy

Other uses of these agents

• autoimmune disease

  • drugs: cyclosporine, azathioprine, glucocorticoids

  • diseases: rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes, autoimmune kidney diseases

• inflammatory diseases

  • drugs: glucocorticoids

Category: Medical Subject Notes , Pathology Notes