Abstract
BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease is an important risk factor for mortality among kidney transplant recipients. In this study, we aimed to investigate the association between cardiovascular risk score at kidney transplantation and long-term outcomes of patients. METHODS: In this prospective, observational cohort study, we enrolled kidney transplant recipients who participated in the Korean Organ Transplantation Registry and underwent transplantation between April 2014 and December 2019. The cardiovascular risk status of kidney transplant recipients was assessed using the Framingham risk score. All-cause mortality, major adverse cardiovascular events, allograft failure, estimated glomerular filtration rates (eGFRs), and composite outcomes were evaluated after kidney transplantation. RESULTS: Of the 4,682 kidney transplant recipients, 96 died during 30.7 ± 19.1 months of follow-up. The Kaplan-Meier survival analysis results showed that high Framingham risk scores were associated with all-cause mortality, major adverse cardiovascular events, and composite outcomes. According to the multivariable Cox analysis, high Framingham risk scores were associated with an increased risk of mortality (hazard ratio [HR], 3.20; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.30-7.91), major adverse cardiovascular events (HR, 8.43; 95% CI, 2.41-29.52), and composite outcomes (HR, 2.05; 95% CI, 1.19-3.46). The eGFRs after transplantation were significantly higher among patients in the low Framingham risk score group (p < 0.001). However, Framingham risk scores were not associated with graft loss or rapid decline in eGFRs. CONCLUSION: The Framingham risk score is a useful indicator of cardiovascular events, mortality, and kidney function after kidney transplantation.