Background: The high prevalence of classic cardiovascular risk factors in patients undergoing dialysis therapy or transplantation is associated with a 3.5- to 50-fold higher risk than in the general population. The primary cause of death in transplant recipients is cardiovascular disease.
Objective: To report echocardiographic findings using a screening protocol to detect heart disease in candidates for kidney transplantation.
Methods: Between November 2005 and December 2009, we examined 356 patients using 2-dimensional color Doppler echocardiography.
Results: A high prevalence of left ventricular hypertrophy, left ventricular diastolic dysfunction, valvulopathy, and valve calcification was observed. There was a positive correlation between valve calcification and female sex, age (P<.001), duration of renal replacement therapy (P=.01), peripheral arterial disease (P=.02), cerebrovascular disease (P=.005), and high concentration of lipoprotein(a) (P=.02).
Conclusion: An echocardiographic study should be part of the initial evaluation in candidates for renal transplantation.
Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.