Prevalence of Cardiovascular Risk Factors before Kidney Transplantation

Abstract

Context Assessing the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors is an essential step in developing risk profiles and individualizing interventions to reduce the cardiovascular morbidity and mortality of kidney transplant recipients. Objective To examine the prevalence of pretransplant modifiable, potentially modifiable, and nonmodifiable cardiovascular risk factors in patients who received kidney transplants between January 1, 1994, and December 31, 1996. Design An exploratory, retrospective nested case-control design was employed to assess pretransplant cardiovascular risk factors in kidney transplant recipients with documented posttransplant cardiovascular events (n=12) and kidney transplant recipients with no documented posttransplant cardiovascular events (n=66). Data were analyzed using frequencies, unpaired t tests, and χ2 analyses. Results Significantly higher means of body mass index values greater than 25 kg/m2 (32.3±5.8 kg/m2 vs 28.8±3.4 kg/m2) and serum total cholesterol levels greater than 200 mg/dL (254.5±5.7 mg/dL vs 242.3±39.3 mg/dL) were noted in patients with documented cardiovascular events compared to those with no documented cardiovascular events, respectively. Diabetes was more prevalent in patients with documented cardiovascular events (33%); these patients were also predominantly African American men who had a higher prevalence of family and personal histories of cardiovascular disease (17% and 33%).