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Robot-Assisted Kidney Transplantation
Published on: July 19, 2021
High Cardiovascular Risk Profile in Young Patients on the Kidney Transplant Waiting List
Nils Mülling1, Nico Kallenberg1, Sven Benson2
1Department of Nephrology, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.
Insights
Cardiovascular risk factors are prevalent in young patients awaiting kidney transplants. These risks, including hypertension and anemia, are common and impact transplant candidates similarly across age groups.
Area of Science:
- Nephrology
- Cardiology
- Transplantation
Background:
- Cardiovascular complications are a major cause of death in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients.
- Risk profiles significantly impact mortality for patients on the kidney transplant waiting list.
- Existing research often focuses on older ESRD populations, necessitating studies on younger demographics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the cardiovascular risk profile in young patients with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD).
- To analyze the specific comorbidities and laboratory findings in pre-transplant CKD patients.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective, single-center study.
- Inclusion of 748 patients on the kidney transplant waiting list.
- Collection of clinical and laboratory data between 2015 and 2016.
Main Results:
- Hypertension, coronary heart disease, and diabetes mellitus were leading comorbidities, increasing with age.
- Hyperuricemia affected 75% of women and 50% of men.
- Advanced anemia (hemoglobin < 10 g/dL) was found in 26.6% of patients aged 18-35.
- Low HDL cholesterol levels were observed in over half of both men and women.
Conclusions:
- Cardiovascular risk factors are highly prevalent in patients awaiting kidney transplantation.
- These risk factors affect younger patient populations significantly.
- The findings highlight the need for targeted cardiovascular risk management in pre-transplant CKD patients.
Background:
Cardiovascular complications are the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in patients with end-stage renal disease. The risk profile very often contributes to their death while on the waiting list. Most studies have been carried out in older patients with end-stage renal disease, reflecting the general dialysis population. The aim of this study was to analyze the risk profile in young patients with advanced chronic kidney disease on the kidney transplant waiting list.
Methods:
This was a retrospective, single-center study of 748 patients on the kidney transplant waiting list at the University Hospital Essen, Germany. Clinical and laboratory parameters were collected between 2015 and 2016.
Results:
Of 748 patients (62% male), the median age was 48 years. Hypertension, coronary heart disease, and diabetes mellitus were the leading comorbidities, and their frequency rose significantly with age. Their median laboratory values did not differ significantly depending on age except for albumin. Hyperuricemia was quite common in our population with a prevalence of about 75% in women and 50% in men throughout all age groups. A total of 26.6% of the patients between 18 and 35 years of age had advanced anemia (hemoglobin < 10 g/dL), and thus they were affected most frequently. Elevated C-reactive protein serum levels were observed in 37.2% of the patients. Regarding the lipid profile, we observed that HDL cholesterol was within the normal range in only among 51.9% of men and 44.3% of women.
Conclusions:
Cardiovascular risk factors are quite common in our cohort and affect young patients similarly.
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