Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation, Vol 14, Issue 6 1525-1529, Copyright © 1999 by Oxford University Press
T Linde, B Sandhagen, U Backman and B Fellstrom
Background: Abnormalities in blood rheology may be
factors contributing to cardiovascular complications and the progression of
renal failure in kidney allograft recipients. The haemorheological
variables haematocrit, fibrinogen, whole blood viscosity, plasma viscosity,
erythrocyte aggregation tendency and fluidity were measured in 27
cyclosporin A (CyA)-treated patients who had received a renal graft at
least 6 months previously. Their creatinine clearance was in the range of
12-92 ml/min/1.73 m2 (mean 55±19). The
values were compared with those obtained from a control group comprising 20
healthy subjects matched according to age, sex and smoking habits.
Results: The haematocrit, plasma fibrinogen, whole
blood viscosity, plasma viscosity, erythrocyte aggregation tendency, body
mass index (BMI), mean arterial pressure (MAP) and serum triglycerides were
increased in the transplanted patients, and the serum high density
lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol and erythrocyte fluidity decreased. The
haemorheological variables were used as dependent variables in a stepwise
regression analysis with age, MAP, BMI, urinary albumin excretion rate,
blood CyA concentration, creatinine clearance, and serum triglycerides,
cholesterol and HDL-cholesterol as independent variables. Plasma fibrinogen
was positively correlated with BMI and blood CyA. The whole CyA and
negatively with serum HDL-cholesterol. Only serum triglycerides remained
correlated with erythrocyte aggregation tendency.
Conclusions: All variables with a known impact on
blood viscosity were altered in the present group of renal transplant
recipients. In appropriate regulation of erythrocyte formation, overweight,
the use of CyA, high triglycerides and low HDL-cholesterol levels may be
factors contributing to this. The importance of impaired flow properties of
blood for the development of cardiovascular diseases and transplant
glomerulosclerosis needs to be examined. Key words:
cyclosporin; erythrocyte deformability; fibrinogen; haemorheology; plasma
viscosity; renal transplantation
ORIGINAL ARTICLES
Altered flow properties of blood and increased plasma fibrinogen in cyclosporin-treated renal allograft recipients
Department of Medical Sciences, University Hospital, 2-751 85 Uppsala, Sweden; Corresponding author
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