Efficacy and safety of tacrolimus combined with glucocorticoid treatment for IgA nephropathy: a meta-analysis:

ObjectiveAs a classical immunosuppressant, tacrolimus (TAC) has been widely used in organ transplantation therapy, but the general benefits of TAC for the treatment of IgA nephropathy (IgAN) remain uncertain. We conducted a meta-analysis to examine the effects of TAC combined with glucocorticoid on IgAN.MethodsWe searched the information databases PubMed/Medline, Embase, Science Citation Index, Chinese Biomedical Literature and the Chinese databases VIP, CNKI and Wan Fang for randomized controlled trials of TAC combined with glucocorticoid as a therapy for IgAN.ResultsTen relevant studies involving 472 patients were included in a meta-analysis. Overall, the TAC group showed a significant decrease in proteinuria compared with the control group (MD: −0.18 g/d, 95% CI: −0.32 to −0.04). No increased risk of adverse events was observed (OR: 0.93, 95% CI: 0.65 to 1.33). In general, the TAC group showed good tolerance.ConclusionEvidence to date clearly indicates that TAC combined with glucocorticoid is quite eff...