Assessment of Arterial Stiffness and Body Composition in Stable Liver Transplant Recipients

Abstract

IntroductionArterial stiffness and central arterial pressure are important factors in the diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases. The tendency of patients after liver transplantation to reach above-normal BMI values promotes the development of arterial stiffness and lipid disorders. MethodsThe study was conducted on a group of 42 patients after liver transplantation at the Nephrology and Transplantology Outpatient Clinic, Medical University of Warsaw, the Infant Jesus Teaching Hospital, Warsaw 0.5–17 years after surgery. The body composition test was carried out with the Tanita Mc780 device, and the central pressure and pulse wave velocity (PWV) with the Schiller BR-102 PLUS PWA device, using the oscillometric method on the brachial artery. Medical documentation was analyzed and the laboratory parameters values routinely determined during follow-up visits were assessed. ResultsThere was a statistically significant correlation between central diastolic pressure and BMI (r = 0.46, P < .05), and a lack of correlation between patients' age and PWV value (r = 0.06, P < .05), which indicated the age of patients in this study was not associated the stiffness of their arteries. PWV level in patients after liver transplantation whose BMI value is within the normal range was 7.62 m/s, while overweight and obese patients had PVW values of 8.58 m/s (P < .05). ConclusionsIn conclusion, our data indicate that 1. the level of central arterial pressure increases with the development of stiffness in the arteries; 2. patients after liver transplantation tend to grow in terms of body weight and body fat content over time after surgery; and 3. the level of bilirubin in the blood is significantly increased among patients with fat content above the upper limit of the normal range.