Fasting Serum Adiponectin Level Inversely Correlates with Arterial Stiffness in Kidney Transplantation Patients

Abstract

Objective: Increased arterial stiffness is an independent predictor of mortality among renal transplant recipients. Adiponectin is an adipocyte-derived hormone that has been found to be an inverse predictor of cardiovascular outcomes among kidney transplantation (KT) patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships of fasting serum adiponectin levels and the arterial stiffness among KT patients. Methods: Fasting blood samples were obtained from 69 KT patients. Brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) was measured in the right or left brachial artery to the ankle segments using an automatic pulse wave analyzer. Plasma adiponectin levels were measured using a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit. Results: Arterial stiffness was higher in KT patients (42/69; 60.9%). Age (p=0.015), KT duration (p< 0.001), body weight (p=0.025), waist circumference (p=0.014), body mass index (p=0.001), fasting glucose (p=0.037), blood urea nitrogen (p=0.021), creatinine (p=0.024), systolic blood pressure (p=0.004), and diastolic blood pressure (p=0.044) were positively, while serum adiponectin level (p=0.001) was negatively correlated with arterial stiffness among the KT patients. Multivariate forward stepwise linear regression analysis showed that KT duration (β: 0.354; R2 = 0.191, p< 0.001), body mass index (β: 0.316; R2 = 0.140, p=0.001), adiponectin (β: -0.278; R2 = 0.85, p=0.004), and systolic blood pressure (β: 0.259; R2 = 0.065, p=0.006) were the independent predictor of arterial stiffness among the KT patients. Conclusions: We observed that fasting adiponectin level was inversely associated with arterial stiffness among KT patients.