Background: The potential nephrotoxicity of cyclosporine A (CsA) has been a problem for treating graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). However, the relationship between CsA blood concentration and acute kidney injury (AKI) in pediatric patients after allo-HSCT remains unclear.
Methods: We performed a retrospective study including pediatric patients who received allo-HSCT in West China Second Hospital of Sichuan University from 2000 to 2022 and collected their clinical data. Included patients' CsA blood concentration were divided into three cohorts according to the guideline. Multivariate logistic regression was used to estimate the relationship between AKI and CsA blood concentration and other factors. And the maximum cut-off value for the safe blood concentration range of CsA was obtained by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve.
Results: Seventy-nine patients (average age 6.75 ± 4.25) were included. The incidence of kidney injury for three CsA blood concentration cohorts (< 200 ng/ml, 200-300 ng/ml, > 300 ng/ml) were 21.30%, 23.50%, and 66.70%, respectively. A multivariate logistic regression identified CsA blood concentration (> 300 ng/ml) and infection were risk factors for AKI (OR <200 ng/ml: 0.115, 95% CI: 0.029-0.458; OR 200-300 ng/ml: 0.184, 95% CI: 0.036-0.929; OR infection: 5.006, 95% CI: 1.491-16.810). Meanwhile, the maximum cut-off value for the safe blood concentration range of CsA is 276.85 ng/ml with an AUC value of 0.684 (P = 0.010).
Conclusion: In conclusion, clinical treatment for the pediatric patients after allo-HSCT may be considered to control the blood concentration of CsA in 200-276.85 ng/ml and closely monitoring patients who have infections.
Keywords: Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cells; Blood concentration; Cyclosporine A; Kidney injury; Pediatric patients.
© 2025. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.