Can Kidney Transplantation Improve Arterial Stiffness in End-Stage Renal Patients?

Arterial stiffness is associated with cardiovascular disease in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and after kidney transplantation. We examined how kidney transplantation influences brachial-ankle pulse-wave velocity (baPWV) in ESRD patients.

The prospective observational study enrolled 67 patients who underwent successful kidney transplantation. Serial baPWV and biochemical parameters were measured before surgery and 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years after transplantation.

baPWV prior to kidney transplantation and 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years after transplantation was 1533 ± 261 cm/s, 1417 ± 254 cm/s, 1414 ± 285 cm/s, and 1384 ± 233 cm/s, respectively. baPWV and biochemical parameters including alkaline phosphatase, intact parathyroid hormone, and 1,25 hydroxyvitamin D improved significantly at 6 months (P < .05), but there were no changes between 6 months and 2 years after transplantation. The majority of patients (73%) improved, whereas the remainder showed progression of baPWV after transplantation. Sixty-three percent of all kidney transplantation patients displayed higher baPWV than the healthy control subjects at 6 months after transplant.

In the majority of patients, baPWV improved soon after kidney transplantation but overall remained higher than in the generally healthy population.