Renal function and blood pressure in psoriatic patients treated with cyclosporin A.

Serum creatinine and blood pressure were measured in patients who had severe psoriasis and who were treated with cyclosporin A (CyA) in initial doses of 1.25 mg (n = 34), 2.5 or 3 mg (n = 314), or 5 (n = 215) mg/kg/day. Of the 563 patients involved, 201 were treated for more than 3 months, and 100 received CyA continuously for 12 months or more. Sixty-eight additional patients were included as controls and received placebo (n = 42) or etretinate (n = 26). At doses of 2.5 and 5 mg/kg/day, CyA induced slight but significant dose-dependent increases in serum creatinine and blood pressure. Creatinine increases of 50% or more over baseline values were detected in 4% of the patients receiving 2.5 mg/kg/day and in 13% of those receiving 5 mg/kg/day. After an initial rise during the first weeks of treatment, mean creatinine level remained stable over 1 year provided that the CyA dose was reduced whenever creatinine levels increased by 30% or more over baseline. The incidence of hypertension was 10.6% and did not vary whether the CyA dose was 2.5 or 5 mg/kg/day. The first elevated blood pressures were recorded early after starting CyA therapy (median: 1 month). However, 3 months after stopping treatment, the increases in creatinine as well as in blood pressure were reversible and the levels did not significantly differ from baseline values.