Table 1.

Comparison of donor and recipient characteristics in groups of liver transplant recipients randomized to either standard immunosuppression (steroids) or complete avoidance of steroids (no steroids)

	Steroids group (n = 50)	No-steroids group (n = 50)	P-value
Recipient characteristics
Age, years, mean ± SD	54 ± 1	56 ± 1	0.23
Male, %	76	76	1.00
White, %	92	86	0.34
Basiliximab inductiona, %	24	26	0.82
Primary diagnosisb, %
Hepatitis C virus	62	46	0.11
Alcohol-related	38	46	0.42
Hepatocellular carcinoma	18	22	0.62
PBC/PSC	2	10	0.09
Cryptogenic cirrhosis	16	14	0.78
Body mass index, kg/m2, mean ± SD	29 ± 1	30 ± 1	0.42
On preoperative anti-hypertensive, %	74	72	0.82
Preoperative diabetes mellitus, %	24	40	0.09
Preoperative CAD, %	6	10	0.46
Preoperative haemodialysis, %	2	6	0.31
Laboratory MELD score, mean ± SD	16 ± 1	18 ± 1	0.17
Liver warm ischaemic time, min, mean ± SD	64 ± 7	54 ± 3	0.19
Liver cold ischaemic time, min, mean ± SD	518 ± 34	518 ± 24	0.99
Donor characteristics
Age, years, mean ± SD	38 ± 3	37 ± 2	0.90
Male, %	62	75	0.18
White, %	78	82	0.62
Death from stroke, %	51	51	1.00
Cytomegalovirus-positive, %	70	64	0.54

^aAdministered only to patients with acute renal failure or oliguria at the time of transplantation.

^bSome recipients had more than one diagnosis.

SD, standard deviation; PBC, primary biliary cirrhosis; PSC, primary sclerosing cholangitis; CAD, coronary artery disease; MELD, Model for End-stage Liver Disease.