Background: Our study was designed to monitor the presence of the "coronary artery disease (CAD) risk factors" after kidney transplantation.
Methods: 26 kidneys transplant recipients with well-functioning (creatinine clearance > 0.8 mL/s) renal allografts receiving cyclosporine A (CsA) as the basic component of immunosuppressive therapy and 60 healthy age-matched controls were included into the study. As "CAD risk factors" were determined the levels of fibrinogen, acute phase proteins orosomucoid and C-reactive protein, t-PA Ag, PAI-1 Ag and soluble adhesion molecules E-selectin, P-selectin and ICAM-1 in the peripheral blood serum or plasma.
Results: Renal transplant recipients showed higher BMI (p < 0.001) and levels of fibrinogen (p < 0.001), t-PA Ag (p = 0.007) and PAI-1 Ag (p < 0.001), acute phase protein orosomucoid (p < 0.001) and higher level of soluble P-selectin (p = 0.038). The levels of sICAM-1 and sE-selectin did not differ statistically significantly from those in controls.
Conclusion: Our study has demonstrated renal graft recipients with good kidney function already show significantly raised levels of "CAD risk factors" fibrinogen, acute phase reactant orosomucoid, t-PA Ag, PAI-1 Ag and sP-selectin.