Organ Transplantation Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Organ Transplantation, including details on risks, prognosis, procedure, surgery.

Interplay between systemic inflammation and markers of insulin resistance in cardiovascular prognosis after heart transplantation.

Biadi O, Potena L, Fearon WF, Luikart HI, Yeung A, Ferrara R, Hunt SA, Mocarski ES, Valantine HA

Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA.

BACKGROUND: Metabolic and immuno-inflammatory risk factors contribute to cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) pathogenesis. Although systemic inflammation, as detected by C-reactive protein (CRP), predicts CAV development, the relationship between CRP and markers of metabolic abnormalities remains unexplored. METHODS: CRP and the entire metabolic panel were evaluated in 98 consecutive heart transplant recipients at the time of annual coronary angiography, 5.8 years after transplant (range, 1-12 years). A ratio of triglycerides (TG) to high-density lipoproteins (HDL) of 3.0 or more was considered a marker of insulin resistance. CAV prevalence was defined by angiography, and subsequent prognosis was evaluated as incidence of major cardiac adverse events. RESULTS: CRP was higher in the 34 patients with angiographic CAV than in those without CAV (1.10 +/- 0.20 vs 0.50 +/- 0.05 mg/dl, p < 0.001). Patients with insulin resistance had higher CRP concentrations (p = 0.023) and higher CAV prevalence (p = 0.005). High CRP and a TG/HDL of 3.0 or more were independently associated with an increased likelihood of CAV (odds ratio, > or = 3.9; p = 0.02) and predicted an increased risk of major cardiac adverse events. The combination of high CRP and a TG/HDL of 3.0 or more identified a subgroup of patients having a 4-fold increased risk for CAV and a 3-fold increased risk for major cardiac adverse events compared with patients with low CRP and normal values for metabolic indicators. CONCLUSIONS: Both CRP and insulin resistance, as estimated by TG/HDL, appear to be strong, synergic risk factors for CAV and for major cardiac adverse events. These findings support the hypothesis that in heart transplant recipients, systemic inflammation may be an important mediator of graft vascular injury associated with metabolic syndrome.

Published 3 April 2007 in J Heart Lung Transplant, 26(4): 324-30.
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