Resistive index and antihypertensive therapy in kidney transplantation.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate in kidney transplanted patients any possible correlation between intrarenal Doppler Resistive Index (RI) and arterial hypertension (AH); to detect any possible angiotensin converting enzime inhibitors (ACE-I)/angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB) influence on RI.


METHODS
Our retrospective study took into consideration 80 consecutive renal allograft sonography scans of 54 patients (37 males) under observation in our centre over a one-year period (2003). Patients were evaluated about their renal function by means of serum creatinine dosage (mg/dL). The seriousness of AH was indirectly evaluated on the basis of the number of antihypertensive drugs taken daily.


RESULTS
RI correlates with age (Pearson, 0.55/95% CI 0.32-0.71; p < 0.0001), and serum creatinine (Pearson, 0.58/ 95% CI 0.39-0.72; p < 0.0001). RI and serum creatinine do not differ in patient with or without ACE-I/ARB in their therapy (RI-Mann Whitney p = 0.517; creatinine-Mann Whitney, p = 0.0503). However, RI correlates with the number of antihypertensive drugs (Spearman rank correlation 0.59/95% CI 0.41-0.73; p < 0.001) and patients with three or more antihypertensive drugs in their therapy show higher RI than patients with one or no antihypertensive drugs (0.66 versus 0.8; independent samples t test, p < 0.0001).


CONCLUSIONS
in a small sample of kidney transplanted patients, RI is not influenced by ACE-I/ARB therapy, but by the amount of antihypertensive therapy.
Tirotta
Angelito
A
Nephrology, Dialysis and Transplantation Unit, Saint Paul Hospital, Savona, Italy. ambnefro.sv@asl2.liguria.it
Caviglia
Pietro Marco
PM
Repetto
Monica
M
Santoni
Oscar
O
Schelotto
Claudio
C
Nasini
Maria Grazia
MG
Carozzi
Silvia
S
D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D003404:Creatinine / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014655:Vascular Resistance
D003404:Creatinine