Skin lesions treated with azathioprine and prednisone. Comparison of nontransplant patients and renal transplant recipients.

Cutaneous complications were studied in 120 patients who received azathioprine and prednisone for six months to ten years. Questionnaire, chart review, and physical examination were used to assess skin infections, rash, verrucae, herpes zoster, tumors, condylomata acuminata, hair loss, and color changes. One hundred patients with renal allografts were compared with 20 nontransplant patients with systemic disease. Dermatologic problems were more frequent in transplant recipients (P less than .02) than in nontransplant patients. Verrucae were more frequent in transplant recipients (P less than .001). There was no significant increase in the total number of skin manifestations with increasing length of therapy, although warts and herpes zoster increased with time. This study suggests that the increase in the total number of skin lesions noted in previous studies of renal transplant recipients is not as prevalent in nontransplant patients who receive azathioprine and prednisone, due primarily to fewer verrucae in nontransplant patients.