LIPID DISORDERS IN KIDNEY TRANSPLANTATION: A PERSISTENT
CONUNDRUM. IS THERE ANY CONNECTION WITH
IMMUNOSUPPRESSIVE THERAPY?
IONUŢ-DORIN TARŢA¹, CARMEN DENISE CĂLDĂRARU1*, MARIA TITICA DOGARU2, EMILIAN CARAŞCA3, CRISTINA TARŢA4, MIHAI CIPRIAN STOICA¹, GRIGORE ALOIZIU DOGARU1
University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, 38 Gheorghe Marinescu Street, Târgu Mureș, 540139, Romania
¹Department of Nephrology,
2Department of Pharmacology
3IVth Internal Medicine Department
4County Clinic Hospital Târgu-Mureş, Romania
*corresponding author: caldararuc@yahoo.com
Download Full Article

Abstract:
Abnormalities in lipid metabolism are frequent in renal transplant patients, and usually result in high cardiovascular risk. The
aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of lipid abnormalities in kidney transplant recipients and the influence of
immunosuppressive drug regimens on the lipid profile. This is a retrospective study on 50 patients with kidney
transplantations. Clinical and laboratory data were studied at 3, 12, 24 and 36 months after transplantation, for changes in
lipid profile and the correlation with the immunosuppressive regimen. The prevalence of hypercholesterolemia was 69.69%
at 3 months following transplantation. Total cholesterol values at 3 months after transplantation were significantly higher
than after 12 months (p = 0.0264), 24 months (p = 0.0009) and 36 months (p = 0.0037). Hypertriglyceridemia was present in
54.54% of the patients at 3 months following the transplantation. Serum triglycerides were higher at 3 months and at 12
months after transplantation than they were at 36 months. Cyclosporine-based immunosuppressive regimen did not confer a
more atherogenic lipid profile when compared with tacrolimus in our kidney transplant recipients. Hypercholesterolemia and
hypertriglyceridemia are most common in the first 3 months after transplantation. Our study showed no statistically
significant differences in serum lipids in relation to immunosuppression.

Top