title: Elevated soluble interleukin-2 receptor levels early after heart transplantation and long-term survival and development of coronary arteriopathy.
abstract: Rejection dynamics after heart transplantation might be characterized by soluble interleukin-2 receptor levels. To determine whether elevated levels early (measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay once weekly the first 3 weeks at time of heart biopsy) after transplantation predict mortality and development of coronary disease, the means of these three determinations and the endomyocardial biopsy scores (McAllister scale 0-10) were compared for survivors and nonsurvivors and patients who had coronary arteriopathy develop and those who did not. Fifty-five patients alive 30 days after heart transplantation were prospectively followed up. Overall, 47 patients were male (85%), and the median age was 51 years. Mean +/- SD follow-up was 26 +/- 15 months (range, 1 to 54 months). There were 38 survivors (69%), and coronary arteriopathy developed in 15 patients (27%). Whereas mean +/- SD heart biopsy scores for the early weeks were similar between survivors and nonsurvivors (3.6 +/- 1.4 vs 4.4 +/- 1.6; p greater than 0.05), the difference in soluble interleukin-2 receptor levels was significant (703 +/- 362 U/ml vs 1793 +/- 1070 U/ml; p less than 0.001). A mean level less than 1000 U/ml in any given patient predicted long-term survival with a 76% sensitivity, 79% specificity, and 88% negative predictive value. Mean receptor levels for those patients in whom coronary arteriopathy did not develop were 880 +/- 846 U/ml and for those with this difficulty, 1410 +/- 590 U/ml (p = 0.001). Late morbidity and mortality after heart transplantation seem predicted by early elevation of plasma soluble interleukin-2 receptor levels.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Multi-Organ Transplant Center, Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas.
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Young
authors.forename: K S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Lloyd
authors.forename: N T
authors.initials: NT
authors.lastname: Windsor
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cocanougher
authors.forename: D G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Weilbaecher
authors.forename: N S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Kleiman
authors.forename: F W
authors.initials: FW
authors.lastname: Smart
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Nelson
authors.forename: E C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Lawrence
mesh_terms: D001706:Biopsy; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000276:immunology; D016027:Heart Transplantation / Q000276:immunology / Q000401:mortality*; D006801:Humans; D007165:Immunosuppression Therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011446:Prospective Studies; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2 / Q000032:analysis*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2