Subclinical peripheral arterial disease in renal transplantation

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a common finding in patients at various stages of chronic kidney disease; however, there has only been a limited amount of data that have been published regarding the prevalence and associated risk factors of subclinical PAD in renal transplant recipients.

The authors cross sectionally investigated the prevalence of PAD using ankle-brachial index (ABI) in 304 renal transplant recipients with no previous diagnosis of PAD. Patients were considered to have subclinical PAD when ABI <0.9. The authors also determined the associated risk factors for subclinical PAD.

The mean age of the 304 patients was 53 years, and 30 patients (9.9%) had a history of atherosclerotic event (including past cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events). Twenty-five of the 304 patients (8%) had ABI <0.9 and 1 had (0.3%) ABI >1.3. Compared to patients with normal ABI, a history of atherosclerotic events is the only independent risk factor for patients with subclinical PAD (P = 0.0468).

Subclinical PAD is an inadvertent issue in renal transplant patients, especially those with a history of atherosclerotic events. Further research is needed on the long-term clinical impact and optimal treatment of subclinical PAD among renal transplant patients.