One-Year Impact of Kidney Transplantation on Cardiac Abnormalities and Blood Pressure in Hemodialysis Patients.

Abstract

Cardiac abnormalities, including left ventricular hypertrophy and systolic dysfunction, are frequently observed among patients with CKD, including kidney transplant recipients; they are closely linked to cardiovascular disease and mortality. Although several studies have been performed for elucidating changes and mechanisms of cardiac abnormalities after kidney transplantation, details remain unclear. This study included 43 consecutive patients who underwent HD and received kidney transplantation between 2008 and 2012 at our institution. All subjects underwent echocardiography before and 1 year after kidney transplantation. One year after kidney transplantation, left ventricular mass index, cardiac chamber sizes, BP, and the number of antihypertensive agents were reduced. Although the percentage of patients with concentric hypertrophy did not change, the percentage of those with eccentric hypertrophy significantly decreased after kidney transplantation. Volume reduction due to the recovery of kidney function may be primarily attributed to the improvement of cardiac abnormalities, including left ventricular hypertrophy.