title: Low incidence of transplant coronary artery disease in Chinese heart recipients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study sought to assess the incidence of transplant coronary artery disease (CAD) in Chinese heart recipients.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  The prevalence of transplant CAD detected by angiography at 1, 2 and 4 years after heart transplantation was 11%, 22% and 45%, respectively. The incidence of transplant CAD in Chinese heart recipients has not been reported.
  
  
  METHODS
  For those recipients surviving for more than 1 year after transplantation, coronary angiography was performed annually for surveillance of transplant CAD. The recipient characteristics, donor characteristics, rejection episodes, medication and human leukocyte antigen (HLA) mismatches were recorded.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fifty patients were included in this study. Thirteen (26%) recipients had ischemic heart disease. Two patients (4%) had active cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection after transplantation. The mean number of rejection episodes in the 1st year after transplantation was 1.15. Among 47 patients with complete data of donor and recipient histocompatibility antigens, there were seven patients (14.9%) with two or fewer HLA mismatches. Among 74 angiograms of 50 patients reviewed, only one patient had discrete stenosis less than 50% in the middle portion of the left anterior descending artery at 1 year after transplantation. The cumulative incidence of transplant CAD was 2% at 1 year and 2% at 2 and 4 years after transplantation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The incidence of transplant CAD was low in Chinese heart transplant recipients. Low percentage of ischemic heart disease in recipients, low occurrence of active CMV infection and rejection episodes after transplantation, less racial disparity, and lower HLA mismatches may be the important factors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei.
authors.forename: R B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.forename: S S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Ko
authors.forename: N K
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Chou
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: M F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Y T
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D044466:Asian People; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology*; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D016027:Heart Transplantation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006650:Histocompatibility Testing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology