Serum Creatinine Levels During and After Long-term Treatment with Cyclosporine A in Patients with Severe Atopic Dermatitis

Safety data with respect to kidney function during long-term treatment with cyclosporine A (CsA) in patients with atopic dermatitis is limited. Data on serum creatinine levels before, during and after CsA treatment were collected in a retrospective cohort of adult patients with atopic dermatitis. The median duration of treatment of 150 patients was 280 days (interquartile range 203-528 days). There was a significant, but not clinically relevant, increase in serum creatinine compared with the baseline level after 3 weeks of treatment with CsA and stabilization during the maintenance phase at the group level. Twenty-two (14.7%) patients had a greater than 30% increase in serum creatinine (cut-off point for clinically relevant change) compared with baseline. These patients were significantly older than the patients without a 30% increase (mean standard deviation age 41.4 +/- 15.6 vs. 33.8 +/- 11.7 years (p=0.01)). During follow-up, all patients had a less than 30% increase in serum creatinine levels compared with baseline levels. At the group level serum creatinine levels during follow-up were not significantly different from baseline.