Risk Factors for the Adverse Events after Conversion from Twice-Daily to Once-Daily Tacrolimus in Stable Liver Transplantation Patients.
10.3346/jkms.2016.31.11.1711
- Author:
Suk Won SUH
1
;
Kwang Woong LEE
;
Jaehong JEONG
;
Hyeyoung KIM
;
Nam Joon YI
;
Kyung Suk SUH
Author Information
1. Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea. Kwleegs@gmail.com
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
Once-daily Tacrolimus;
Twice-daily Tacrolimus;
Conversion;
Liver Transplantation;
Adverse Events
- MeSH:
Humans;
Liver Function Tests;
Liver Transplantation*;
Liver*;
Patient Safety;
Risk Factors*;
Tacrolimus*;
Transplants
- From:Journal of Korean Medical Science
2016;31(11):1711-1716
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
Despite the therapeutic equivalence between twice-daily and once-daily tacrolimus, patient safety after conversion is still a concern. We reviewed 218 liver transplantation (LT) patients who converted twice-daily to once-daily tacrolimus between May 2011 and January 2014. Thirty (13.8%) patients had adverse events after conversion, with a liver function test (LFT) abnormality being the most common adverse event (n = 17). Despite the decrease in serum tacrolimus of > 30% after conversion, none of the patients who were converted to a dosage ratio (once-daily tacrolimus dosage: twice-daily tacrolimus dosage) > 1 had an LFT abnormality. Most patients with an LFT abnormality improved after increasing the once-daily tacrolimus dosage (n = 2), returned to a previous medication, and/or added another immunosuppressant (n = 15). One patient had acute cellular rejection, which improved after steroid pulse treatment, and another patient had graft failure. In patients with a dosage ratio ≤ 1, the conversion time within 5 years after LT was the only significant risk factor for an LFT abnormality after conversion (odds ratio: 11.850, 95% confidence interval: 1.321–106.325, P = 0.027). In conclusion, the dosage ratio and time after LT should be carefully considered during conversion from twice-daily to once-daily tacrolimus.
