Cytomegalovirus exposure and cardiovascular disease in kidney transplant recipients

Some data suggest that cytomegalovirus (CMV) may be involved in atherogenesis. However, there are few data suggesting that CMV may contribute to posttransplantation atherosclerosis. We studied a cohort of 570 consecutive renal transplant recipients. The impact of CMV on atherosclerotic events was analyzed with respect to other known main cardiovascular risk factors. The mean follow-up duration (± SD) was 87 ± 31 months. A total of 357 patients were considered to be CMV exposed, and 213 were considered to be CMV naive. Cox regression analysis revealed that CMV exposure (hazard ratio [HR], 1.80 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 1.06-3.05]; P = .030) was an independent risk factor for atherosclerotic events. A total of 213 patients remained CMV negative during follow-up, 225 CMV-positive patients had no replication after transplantation, and 132 CMV-positive patients experienced CMV replication after transplantation. Atherosclerotic event rates were 8.5%, 13.3%, and 18.2%, respectively (P = .034). Cox regression analysis revealed that patients with posttransplantation CMV replication had an increased risk of atherosclerotic events (HR, 2.06 [95% CI, 1.03-4.15]; P = .042) and death (HR, 1.76 [95% CI, 1.08-2.89]; P = .024). There was also a trend toward an increased risk of atherosclerotic events in CMV-positive patients without posttransplantation replication (HR, 1.62 [95% CI, .91-3.05]; P = .098). Both pretransplantation CMV exposure and posttransplantation CMV replication contribute to the increased risk of cardiovascular disease in transplant recipients.