Stopping Prednisone May Be Safe After Kidney Transplant.

MedPage Today  (1/31, Ullman) reports, "Patients who stopped taking the immunosuppressant prednisone soon after a kidney transplant avoided steroid-related side effects without putting their new organs at risk, according to a decade-long study  " published in the January issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. "Compared with historical controls, among nondiabetic living donor recipients on a rapid discontinuation of prednisone (RDP) protocol, 7% had new onset diabetes at 10 years (P<0.001 versus historical controls). The rate of new onset diabetes at 10 years in a deceased donor population came in at 11%, P<0.001 versus the historical controls)," the study found. "The prolonged use of high-dose prednisone has multiple side effects, including post-transplant glucose intolerance and new-onset diabetes mellitus, cataracts, and avascular necrosis, the authors explained."