Risk factors for cardiovascular disease during the first 2 years after renal transplantation

The aim of the present study was to assess the role of cardiovascular risk factors in the occurrence of cardiovascular events among 100 consecutive renal transplant recipients during the first 2 years after transplantation. The following parameters were analyzed: (1) demographic data (gender, age, dialysis duration, preexistent diabetes, and pretransplantation events) as well as (2) basal 1-year, and 2-year posttransplantation data for events, body mass index, arterial hypertension, number of drugs for hypertension control, use of ACE or ARA II inhibitors, treatment with lipid- lowering drugs, de novo diabetes, anemia, immunosuppression with cyclosporine versus tacrolimus, and homocysteine, folic acid, serum creatinine, uric acid, PTH-i, and cholesterol total, high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol, and triglyceride levels. At the end of the second posttransplantation year, 14 patients versus 86 who did not experience a new cardiovascular event. Patients in the event group had more events pretransplantation and during the first posttransplantation year than those in the non event group (57.1% vs 17.4%; P = .003 and 78.6% vs 2.3%; P = .000, respectively). Furthermore, the former cohort of patients were older, had greater ventricular hypertrophy and had higher triglyceride and serum creatinine concentrations during the 2 years after transplantation. A multiple logistic regression analysis confirmed the relationship between events within 1 year of transplantation and serum creatinine level at the end of 2 years as well as the development of cardiovascular disease within 2 years. In conclusion, our data suggest the need for aggressive intervention during the first year to prevent the development of new cardiovascular events. Renoprotective strategies may also contribute to reduce the cardiovascular risk of renal transplant recipients.