Abstract

Abstract Background and Aims Cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality are highly prevalent in renal transplant recipients (RTRs). As such, assessments of CV status using troponin concentrations could help to identify patients at risk for death or CV events and as a predictor for deterioration of graft function. The aim of the study was to investigate the biomarker troponin for the prediction of adverse renal and cardiovascular outcomes in stable RTRs. Method 305 stable RTRs with a median age of 53 years, (60.6% male) transplanted between 1994 and 2018 were enrolled in the study. General characteristics are shown in Table 1. At baseline, troponin, NT-pro BNP, carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) and pulse pressure (PP) were measured. Troponin was measured during a routine baseline visit in stable RTR without cardiac symptoms. The median troponin concentration (11 ng/l) was used as cut-off. Patients were divided into two groups high (≥11 ng/l) and low (<11 ng/l) troponin and followed for 54 months. During this time CV events (stroke, myocardial infarction, peripheral artery thrombosis) death, graft loss and deterioration of renal graft function (increasing creatinine ≥30%) or proteinuria (urine protein creatinine ratio UPCR ≥500 mg/g) were monitored. Results At baseline, significant differences were observed between groups in terms of creatinine, eGFR, troponin, UPCR, PP, and PWV. In the group with baseline troponin ≥11ng/l, more patients had coronary artery disease/peripheral obliterans artery disease (CAD/POAD), heart failure (HF), and diabetes. Baseline troponin correlated only weakly with age (R = 0.47), cfPWV (R = 0.41), eGFR (R = −0.52). During follow-up, patients with high troponin experienced more frequently an increase in creatinine ≥30% (32.9% vs 13%), doubling creatinine (11.2% vs 3.1%), an increase in UPCR (22.4% vs 9.2%), graft loss (16.1% vs 1,8%), death (13.3% vs 0%), and CV events (6.3% vs 4.9%). Conclusion 1. Age, arterial stiffness, and eGFR only have a weakly impact on troponin in stable RTR. 2. Higher troponin is associated with poor outcomes and might be useful not only for the identification of patients with high-risk CV events but also for the deterioration of allograft function.

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