title: [Metabolic disorders in renal transplant recipients].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Advancements in immunosuppressive treatment of renal transplant recipients have significantly increased the graft and patient survival and significantly lowered the incidence of rejection crises. Efforts to increase long term patient and graft survival are directed to the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases because they are the leading cause of mortality in these patients. Traditional risk factors for the development of cardiovascular diseases (e.g., arterial hypertension, posttransplant diabetes mellitus and metabolic lipid disorder) are up to fifty times more frequent among renal transplant recipients than in the general population. The goal of this study was to analyze the prevalence of the above mentioned metabolic disorders in renal transplant recipients, to analyze the impact of immunosuppressive therapy on the manifestation of these mentioned metabolic disorders, and to analyze the antihypertensive therapy applied.
  
  
  METHODS
  We analyzed 53 patients that underwent renal transplantation at Rijeka University Hospital Center during a two-year follow-up. Glomerulonephritis was the primary kidney disease in 14 (29.6%), polycystic kidney disease in 10 (18.87%), interstitial nephritis in 7 (13.21%), nephroangiosclerosis in 5 (18.5%), diabetic nephropathy in 4 (7.55%) and other diseases in 13 (24.53%) patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study included 53 patients (58.5% male), mean age 49.8 +/- 11.3 (range 27-72) years and mean dialysis treatment before transplantation 56.0 +/- 41.9 months. All patients received triple immunosuppressive therapy including a calcineurin inhibitor/MMF/corticosteroids and induction with IL-2 receptor blocker (daclizumab or basiliximab). Thirty-three (62%) patients were treated with tacrolimus and 20 (38%) with cyclosporine. The mean creatinine value was 144.92 +/- 46.49. Eighteen (34%) patients had creatinine lower than 120 mmol/L and 35 (66%) patients had a level higher than 120 mmol/L. After transplantation, 49 (92.5%) patients were treated for arterial hypertension (arterial hypertension was defined as systolic blood pressure greater than 140 mm Hg and diastolic pressure greater than 90 mm Hg or the routine use of antihypertensive therapy). Patients receiving cyclosporine had a significantly higher incidence of arterial hypertension as compared with patients on tacrolimus (P=0.025). Among patients with serum creatinine level higher than 120 mmol/L, 32 (65.3%) patients had hypertension, 9 (17%) achieved target blood pressure (<130/80 mm Hg), 8 (16.32%) were treated with one drug, 24 (48.98%) with two drugs, 15 (30.61%) with three drugs and 2 (4.09%) with more than three antihypertensives. Only four patients did not take any antihypertensive medication. The most often used antihypertensive drugs were calcium channel blockers (40.4% of patients), beta-blockers (26.6%), and RAS inhibitors (9.2% of patients received ACE inhibitors and 16.5% ARB). In 6 (11.3%) patients, posttransplant diabetes mellitus developed and 21 (39.62%) patients were treated for metabolic lipid disorder.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In order to identify patients at a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease with time, it is essential that kidney transplant recipients undergo regular follow up of graft function, blood pressure, and metabolic parameters. Good graft function is important to improve the quality of life and decrease mortality of renal transplant recipients.
authors: Department of Nephrology and Dialysis, Rijeka University Hospital Center, School of Medicine, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia.
authors: Ivana
authors: I
authors: Mikolasević
authors: Ita
authors: I
authors: Jelić
authors: Branka
authors: B
authors: Sladoje-Martinović
authors: Lidija
authors: L
authors: Orlić
authors: Stela
authors: S
authors: Zivcić-Cosić
authors: Sretenka
authors: S
authors: Vuksanović-Mikulicić
authors: Maja
authors: M
authors: Mijić
authors: Sanjin
authors: S
authors: Racki
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000209:etiology*; D050171:Dyslipidemias / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents