Effect of Immunosuppressive Therapy on Cardiovascular Risk Factor Prevalence in Kidney-Transplanted Children: Comparative Study.
BACKGROUND
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the second major cause of death in kidney-transplanted children. Cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF) prevalence after transplant may increase. The effect of immunosuppressive therapy has not been fully studied in children. The objective of the study was to measure and compare CVRF prevalence in kidney-transplanted children, depending of immunosuppressive therapy.


METHODS
The study was an observational, transversal, retrospective, comparative study of pediatric patients transplanted at UMAE Hospital General Centro Medico La Raza. All patients were treated with prednisone and mycophenolic acid and any of cyclosporine, tacrolimus, or sirolimus. Demographic, clinical, and biochemical variables and immunosuppressive therapy were evaluated. We used analysis of variance, χ(2), and Fisher tests with the SPSS 18.0 statistical program.


RESULTS
One hundred fifteen patients were studied. Sixty-five (56.5%) were male, and median age was 18.5 ± 2.3 years. Seventy-eight (67.2%) were transplanted from a living related donor. Prevalence of anemia and nephrotic proteinuria was significantly less in patients treated with tacrolimus. Those treated with cyclosporine had a significantly greater prevalence of increased LDL-cholesterol, increased serum phosphorus, and increased calcium-phosphorus. Those treated with tacrolimus had lower, not significant, prevalence of hypertension, hyperuricemia, hypoalbuminemia, hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia, and low serum HDL-cholesterol than those treated with sirolimus and cyclosporine. In multivariate analysis, patients treated with cyclosporine had significantly more probability of increased phosphorus (OR, 10.65; 95% CI, 2.75-41.16, P = .001) and calcium-phosphorus (OR, 37.94; 95% CI, 3.45-416.17, P = .003) than those treated with tacrolimus.


CONCLUSIONS
Patients treated with tacrolimus had less prevalence of CVRF than those treated with cyclosporine or sirolimus. Tacrolimus is the best immunosuppressive option to diminish CVRF in children after kidney transplantation.
Department of Pediatric Nephrology, UMAE Hospital General Centro Médico La Raza, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, México City, Mexico. Electronic address: jagbello@yahoo.com.mx.
J A
JA
García-Bello
Department of Pediatric Nephrology, UMAE Hospital General Centro Médico La Raza, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, México City, Mexico.
E G
EG
Romo-Del Río
Department of Transplants, UMAE Hospital General Centro Médico La Raza, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, México City, Mexico.
E
E
Mendoza-Gómez
Department of Transplants, UMAE Hospital General Centro Médico La Raza, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, México City, Mexico.
P A
PA
Camarena-Arias
Department of Transplants, UMAE Hospital General Centro Médico La Raza, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, México City, Mexico.
M
M
Santos-Caballero
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002648:Child; D016572:Cyclosporine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000517:prevention & control; D015228:Hypertriglyceridemia / Q000517:prevention & control; D033461:Hyperuricemia / Q000517:prevention & control; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007167:Immunotherapy / Q000379:methods; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000601:surgery; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008297:Male; D009173:Mycophenolic Acid / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000517:prevention & control; D011241:Prednisone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D020123:Sirolimus / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016559:Tacrolimus / Q000627:therapeutic use; D055815:Young Adult
D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D016572:Cyclosporine; D009173:Mycophenolic Acid; D011241:Prednisone; D020123:Sirolimus; D016559:Tacrolimus