Retrospective analysis of the effect of the presence of cardiovascular disease on graft and patient survival outcomes after kidney transplantation

In this retrospective study, the characteristics and risk factors of patients who developed a cardiovascular event after kidney transplantation in 599 patients who had kidney transplantation between January 2006 and May 2019 at Bursa Uludağ University Medical Faculty Kidney Transplant Center were investigated. We investigated the effects of post-transplant cardiovascular events on graft and patient survival. In our cohort, the frequency of cardiovascular events after transplantation was 14.69%. Our study found that the presence of cerebrovascular event-related hemiplegia, pre-transplant high-density lipoprotein (HDL) level, post-transplant dyslipidemia, heart valve disease, post-transplant hypertension, and high uric acid levels in the 1st year compared to the preoperative period were independent risk factors for the evolution of cardiovascular events. Use of immunosuppressive regimen consisted of tacrolimus (Tac) + enteric-coated mycophenolate sodium (EC-MPS) + prednisolone (P) reduced cardiovascular risk. Pre-transplant dialysis time, pre-transplant SCORE and Charlson comorbidity indices were risk factors related with mortality in patient survival analysis. In graft survival analysis, donor age, postoperative congestive heart failure, and pre-transplant Charlson comorbidity index were associated with graft failure. Post-transplant cardiovascular diseases are one of the important causes that threaten patient and graft survival. Aggressive management of traditional risk factors and minimization of cardiovascular damage are essential for a successful kidney transplant. Transplant physicians can calculate cardiovascular risk in post-transplant follow-up using scoring systems. Multicenter studies for this purpose will help to develop treatment algorithms in recipients at risk of cardiovascular complications.