Background: Cardiovascular disease is a major cause of morbidity and mortality after renal transplantation. Prednisone (Pred) maintenance therapy is associated with risk factors for atherosclerosis. Therefore, we were interested in quantifying the effects of Pred withdrawal on body weight and waist circumference as well as on metabolic markers of coronary heart disease risk.
Methods: Twenty-six cyclosporine-treated renal transplant patients (13 men and 13 women) were evaluated before and after at least 11 months (16 +/- 2.9 months) of Pred withdrawal. A complete fasting lipoprotein-lipid profile as well as anthropometric measurements were obtained from each patient.
Results: Pred withdrawal was associated with a 6.0% reduction of body weight (-4.34 +/- 5.40 kg; P < 0.05) and with a 7.7% decrease in waist girth (-7.13 +/- 5.75 cm; P < 0.005) in women, whereas no change in these variables were observed in men. In both genders, plasma low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations were unaffected by Pred withdrawal, whereas plasma high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels decreased by 14.0% in women (-0.22 +/- 0.22 mmol/L; P < 0.005) and 22.0% in men (-0.36 +/- 0.28 mmol/L; P < 0.005). Pred withdrawal was associated with a significant reduction in plasma apolipoprotein B concentrations in both women (-0.28 +/- 0.15 g/L; -24.6%; P < 0.0001) and men (-0.22 +/- 0.19 g/L; -20.5%; P < 0.005). A significant reduction in fasting insulin was observed in both women (-27.8 +/- 27.9 pmol/L; -25.3%; P < 0.005) and men (-25.0 +/- 32.8 pmol/L; -21.4%; P < 0.05), whereas the LDL peak particle size was unaffected by Pred withdrawal.
Conclusions: Pred withdrawal modifies several anthropometric and metabolic cardiovascular risk factors in renal transplant patients. Furthermore, female patients may derive further benefits of Pred withdrawal resulting from the concomitant loss of body weight and abdominal fat.