Incidence of new-onset hypercholesterolemia in renal transplant patients treated with FK506 or cyclosporine.

In this study, we compare cholesterol levels during the first year after renal transplantation in FK506 (Prograf)- and cyclosporine-treated patients matched for cumulative first-year steroid dose and hypercholesterolemia risk factors. All patients had pretransplant cholesterol levels < 200 mg/dl. At 3 months posttransplant, 68% of the cyclosporine-treated patients had at least one cholesterol level greater than 200 mg/dl compared with 30% of the FK506-treated patients (P < 0.05). At the end of the year, 26% of FK506- and 67% of cyclosporine-treated patients remained hypercholesterolemic (P < 0.05). We conclude that cyclosporine has inherently more effect on cholesterol levels than FK506 during the first year after kidney transplantation.