1. Steroid withdrawal versus steroid maintenance ‐ stratified subgroup and sensitivity analysis for death, graft loss and acute rejection up to one year after transplantation.

	Death			Graft loss			Acute rejection			Biopsy‐proven acute rejection
	Studies	RR	95% CI	Studies	RR	95% CI	Studies	RR	95% CI	Studies	RR	95% CI
Publication status
Peer reviewed journal	8	0.60	0.31 to 1.17	7	1.25	0.73 to 2.13	8	2.02	1.23 to 3.23	4	1.32	0.66 to 2.66
Abstract only	2	3.04	0.33 to 28.29	1	0.82	0.23 to 2.94	2	1.25	0.67 to 2.32	1	1.37	0.70 to 2.69
ITT analysis
ITT analysis used	6	0.69	0.30 to 1.61	6	1.31	0.69 to 2.46	6	2.07	1.10 to 3.91	3	1.37	0.64 to 2.94
ITT analysis not used/unclear	4	0.67	0.25 to 1.81	2	1.00	0.46 to 2.17	4	1.65	0.81 to 3.36	2	1.04	0.24 to 4.59
Calcineurin inhibitor
CsA	9	0.75	0.36 to 1.54	7	0.90	0.50 to 5.14	9	2.08	1.29 to 3.35	4	1.60	0.87 to 2.92
TAC	1	0.50	0.13 to 1.97	1	2.13	0.88 to 5.14	1	1.11	0.82 to 1.51	1	0.89	0.61 to 1.30
Antimetabolite
MMF or EC‐MPS	6	0.67	0.31 to 1.47	5	1.25	0.75 to 2.08	6	1.41	1.02 to 1.94	3	1.27	0.81 to 2.00
AZA	2	0.93	0.26 to 3.40	2	0.25	0.03 to 2.18	2	2.61	0.62 to 10.91	1	0.33	0.04 to 2.56
MMF or EC‐MPS or AZA	8	0.73	0.38 to 1.43	7	1.15	0.70 to 1.89	8	1.46	1.07 to 1.98	4	1.19	0.75 to 1.90
none	2	0.31	0.03 to 2.95	1	3.00	0.13 to 71.61	2	5.80	2.16 to 15.57	1	9.00	1.19 to 67.93
Induction treatment
Induction (yes)	2	3.00	0.32 to 27.87	1	0.33	0.01 to 8.02	2	0.80	0.22 to 2.91	NA	‐‐	‐‐
Induction (no)	8	0.60	0.31 to 1.17	7	1.21	0.74 to 1.99	8	1.93	1.26 to 2.94	NA	‐‐	‐‐

AZA ‐ azathioprine; CI ‐ confidence interval; CsA ‐ cyclosporin A; EC‐MPS ‐ enteric‐coated mycophenolate sodium; ITT ‐ intention to treat; MMF ‐ mycophenolate mofetil; NA ‐ not available; RR ‐ risk ratio; TAC ‐ tacrolimus