Cardiovascular disease and the renal transplant recipient

Cardiovascular complications contribute to a significant proportion of the morbidity and mortality in renal transplant patients. Underlying disease states such as diabetes and hypertension as well as risk factors associated with chronic dialysis may cause many patients to have established coronary artery and peripheral vascular disease at the time of transplantation. Progression or new onset of disease can occur after transplantation due to the continued presence of risk factors for cardiovascular disease. The benefit of modification of these risk factors such as hypertension and hyperlipidemia has been well established in the general population and has more recently been explored in the renal transplant population, although long-term studies documenting an improvement in morbidity and mortality are not available. This article focuses on the potential benefit of modification of risk factors in this setting. (C) 2001 by the National Kidney Foundation, Inc.