Abstract
BackgroundRenal transplantation can significantly improve the quality of life of patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD) who would otherwise require dialysis. Renal transplant (RT) recipients have higher risks of cardiovascular disease compared with general population. The carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) and pulse wave velocity (PWV) have been used as the important predicting factor of vascular arteriosclerosis. Therefore, this study was to investigate the improvement of carotid intima-media thickness and pulse wave velocity in renal transplant recipients.MethodsThirty-one patients with chronic kidney disease being treated with hemodialysis, 31 renal transplant recipients and 84 healthy control subjects were included to have the clinical evaluations and ultrasonography of bilateral carotid arteries. CIMT and PWV were independently measured by two ultrasonographers using the technique of ultrasonic radiofrequency tracking and correlated with arteriosclerosis risk factors. The progression of CIMT and PWV with age were analyzed by linear regression models, and the slopes of curves were compared using Z test.ResultsCompared with the patients on hemodialysis, the CIMT was significantly lower in renal transplant recipients and healthy control. The PWV were higher in hemodialysis patients and renal transplant recipients than that of the subjects in control group. The progression is CIMT positively corelated with age and cumulative duration in renal transplant recipients and hemodialysis patients. In both hemodialysis patients and renal transplant recipients, age and cumulative time on dialysis were all positively correlated with the increase of PWV as well.ConclusionsCarotid intima-media thickness and pulse wave velocity is the predicting factors of developing arteriosclerosis, which were improved in renal transplant recipients.
Highlights
Renal transplantation can significantly improve the quality of life of patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD) who would otherwise require dialysis
Characteristics of the subjects Basic clinical characteristics and laboratory results were described in Table 1. transplant recipients had higher diastolic blood pressure (DBP) than hemodialysis patients, while no significant difference of systolic blood pressure (SBP) between hemodialysis patients and Renal transplant (RT) patients exist
Our study shows that carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) and pulse wave velocity (PWV) values were lower in age-matched renal transplant recipients than in hemodialysis patients
Summary
Renal transplantation can significantly improve the quality of life of patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD) who would otherwise require dialysis. Renal transplant (RT) recipients have higher risks of cardiovascular disease compared with general population. The carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) and pulse wave velocity (PWV) have been used as the important predicting factor of vascular arteriosclerosis. This study was to investigate the improvement of carotid intima-media thickness and pulse wave velocity in renal transplant recipients. Kidney transplantation is the standard treatment for patients with ESRD because it can significantly prolong the life of the patient, mainly by improving renal function to prevent progression of cardiovascular disease [1]. Kidney transplant recipients have a 10-fold reduction in cardiac death [4]. Compared with the normal population, kidney transplant patients still have a 10-fold higher in cardiac death, and 50 times annual fatal or non-fatal cardiovascular events [1].
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