of high-dose steroids and an immunosuppressive agent. Therapy with intravenous cyclophosphamide is the agent best studied for SLE. Intravenous immunoglobulinhasalso proven tobebeneficial in selectedpatients.Theroleofmethotrexate in the treatment of SLE remains unproven, but itssafetyrecordmakes itanattractivealternative,especially for thecontrol of some steroid-refractory manifestations of SLE....

FK 506 (Tacrolimus-Prograf) was first used clinically in February 1989.1 and approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration in April 1994 as a new immunosuppressive agent for use after liver transplantation.2-4 It has also been utilized as the primary immunosuppressive agent after heart.5 lung,6 intestinal7 and islet8 transplantation. In renal transplantation, it has been studied ex...

For kidney transplant recipients, immunosuppression commonly consists of combination treatment with a calcineurin inhibitor, an antiproliferative agent and a corticosteroid. Many medical centers use a sequential immunosuppression regimen where an induction agent, either an anti-thymocyte globulin or interleukin-2 receptor antibody, is given at the time of transplantation to prevent early acute ...

Immunosuppressive drugs are now unavoidibly used after the transpantation of liver,heart and bone marrow, as well as in certain autoimmune diseases.among these agents,cyclosporine-A (CYA) is one of the most effective Immunosuppressants which is widely used.but as any Immunosuppressive agent,the use of CYA is not without harmful side effects.neurotoxin,nephrotoxic and hepatotoxic complications,m...

The treatment of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases is challenging because of their frequency and complexity. Treatment of these diseases is based on the suppression of the patient's immune system using corticosteroids, corticosteroid-sparing immunosuppressive agents, and biologic drugs, making an understanding of the management of immunosuppressive therapy essential. Before an immunosuppress...

Tacrolimus is a superior immunosuppressive agent in patients undergoing renal transplantation. In adults, the 1- and 3-year actuarial patient survivals were 95% and 92%, and the 1- and 3-year actuarial graft survivals were 89% and 80%. For first cadaver kidneys, the 1- and 3-year actuarial graft survivals were 91% and 82%, with a projected half-life of 11.9 years. Sixty-nine percent of successf...