Inflammation and Atherosclerosis Are Associated With Hypertension in Kidney Transplant Recipients

The aim of the current study was to evaluate risk factors associated with hypertension in kidney transplant recipients. The authors recruited 92 consecutive kidney transplant recipients and 30 age-matched patients with chronic kidney disease without history of cardiovascular events. Twenty-four-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, pulse wave velocity, and carotid ultrasound were performed. Serum levels of log-transformed interleukin 6 (Log IL-6), soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor 2, and intercellular adhesion molecule 1 were determined. Twenty-four-hour systolic blood pressure (SBP) (P=.0001), Log IL-6 (P=.011), and total number of carotid plaques (P=.013) were higher, while the percentage decline of SBP from day to night was lower in kidney transplant recipients (P=.003). Independent predictors of 24-hour SBP were urinary protein/creatinine ratio and circulating monocytes (P=.001), while Log IL-6, serum creatinine, and total number of carotid plaques (P=.0001) were independent predictors of percentage decline of SBP from day to night. These results suggest that subclinical atherosclerosis and systemic inflammation are associated with hypertension after transplantation.