Steroid-free immunosuppression regime reduces both long-term cardiovascular morbidity and patient mortality in renal transplant recipients.

The aim of this retrospective study was to assess the impact of steroid therapy on cardiovascular disease (CVD) and patient mortality, in 486 on-CsA renal transplant recipients, with a follow-up of 9.5 +/- 4.3 yr.

IgA nephropathy: the presence of familial disease does not confer an increased risk for progression.

Background: Immunoglobulin A (IgA) nephropathy is the most common form of glomerulonephritis worldwide. Familial and sporadic cases are recognized, and a locus associated with the familial form of the disease was mapped to chromosome 6. Recent data suggest the familial IgA nephropathy form may have a poorer outcome than the sporadic form.

Predictors of renal and patient outcomes in atheroembolic renal disease: a prospective study.

Atheroembolic renal disease (AERD) is part of a multisystemic disease accompanied by high cardiovascular comorbidity and mortality. Interrelationships between traditional risk factors for atherosclerosis, vascular comorbidities, precipitating factors, and markers of clinical severity of the disease in determining outcome remain poorly understood. Patients with AERD presenting to a single center between 1996 and 2002 were followed-up with prospective collection of clinical and biochemical data.