The identification of several mechanisms through which statins decrease the recruitment of monocytes and T cells into the arterial wall and inhibit T cell activation and proliferation in vitro have prompted the immunomodulatory effects of statins. In this study, the effect of simvastatin therapy on lymphocyte cross-match positivity of the kidney transplant candidates who admitted to our center was investigated.
Simvastatin therapy (20 mg/day) was administered to 7 patients (4 male, 3 female) who admitted to our center between July 2002 and September 2003, with positive lymphocyte cross-match. The etiologies of end-stage renal failure were vesicoureteral reflux in 2, stone disease in 2 and unknown in 3 patients.
Lymphocyte cross-match became negative in all patients in minimum 4 months and 9 months. None of the patients required higher doses and none of them suffered from the side effects. Successful kidney transplantation was performed for 5 patients. The serum creatinine levels of these patients range between 0.8 and 1.4 mg/dl. Two remaining patients are still in the pretransplantation evaluation period.
Simvastatin therapy in lymphocyte cross-match positive kidney transplant candidates seems to be a cost-effective and useful alternative compared to plasmapheresis.