Effects of different calcineurin inhibitors on sex hormone levels in transplanted male patients.

Hormonal abnormalities in male patients with end-stage renal diseases are primarily organic and related to uremia as well as the other comorbid factors that frequently contribute to chronic renal failure and concomitant drug administration. The restoration of hormonal profiles after successful renal transplantation is still controversial. Immunosuppressive drugs may influence hormonal profiles. Our cross-sectional study of 37 male kidney transplant recipients investigated two groups according to their calcineurin inhibitor therapy, namely 21 cyclosporine versus 16 tacrolimus patients. The two groups were matched for age, graft function, mean duration of dialysis before transplantation, and duration of follow-up after transplantation. There was no statistical significant difference in baseline circulating levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), testosterone (TTE), and prolactin (PRL) between the two groups. We found that calcineurin inhibitors have favorable effects on sexual hormone levels of male renal transplant patients and that there is no difference in baseline hormone levels between cyclosporine- and tacrolimus-treated male patients.