MO081: Ambulatory Blood Pressure Trajectories and Blood Pressure Variability in Kidney Transplant Recipients: A Comparative Study Against Chronic Kidney Disease Patients

Abstract

Abstract BACKGROUND AND AIMS Hypertension is a major cardiovascular risk factor in both kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) and patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) is considered the gold standard method for hypertension management in these subjects. This is the first study evaluating in comparison the full ambulatory BP profile and short-term BP variability (BPV) in KTRs versus CKD patients without kidney replacement therapy. METHOD 93 KTRs were matched with 93 CKD patients for age, sex and eGFR. All participants underwent 24 h ABPM; mean ambulatory BP levels, BP trajectories and BPV indices [standard deviation (SD), weighted-SD and average real variability] were compared between the two groups. RESULTS There were no significant between-group differences in 24-h SBP/DBP (KTRs:126.9 ± 13.1/79.1 ± 7.9 versus CKD:128.1 ± 11.2/77.9 ± 8.1 mmHg, P = 0.522/0.293), daytime SBP/DBP and nighttime SBP; nighttime DBP was slightly higher in KTRs (KTRs:76.5 ± 8.8 versus CKD:73.8 ± 8.8 mmHg, P = 0.040). For both ambulatory SBP/DBP, repeated-measurements-ANOVA showed a significant effect of time (SBP: F = [19, 3002]=11.735, P < 0.001, partial η2 = 0.069) but not of KTR/CKD status (SBP: F = [1, 158] = 0.668, P = 0.415, partial η2 = 0.004). Ambulatory systolic/diastolic BPV indices were not different between KTRs and CKD patients, except for 24-h DBP-SD that was slightly higher in the latter (KTRs: 10.2 ± 2.2 versus CKD: 10.9 ± 2.6 mmHg, P = 0.041). No differences were noted in dipping pattern between the two groups. CONCLUSION Mean ambulatory BP levels, BP trajectories and short-term BPV indices are not significantly different between KTRs and CKD patients, suggesting that KTRs have a similar ambulatory BP profile compared with CKD patients without kidney replacement therapy.