Source: DGNews  |  Posted 9 years ago

By Lynda Jackson

COPENHAGEN, DENMARK -- July 18, 2002 -- In renal transplant patients, atherosclerosis poses a serious threat to graft survival, reported researchers here July 17 at the XXXIX Congress of the European Renal Association, European Dialysis and Transplant Association (ERA-EDTA).

Renal transplant patients have a five fold increase in cardiovascular mortality post-transplant compared with age matched controls, and this is the single most important factor related to graft loss, Dr. F. Nurhan Ozdemir, from the University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey, said during her presentation.

Investigators led by Dr. Ozdemir evaluated the influence of recipient family history of atherosclerosis, hypertension and diabetes mellitus, on the development of atherosclerotic events, posttransplant serum albumin levels and lipid profile, and progression of cardiovascular disorder and renal allograft dysfunction.

They reviewed the charts of 166 patients who received living related kidneys and 61 who received cadaveric kidneys, mean age 37