Cardiovascular-Renal Consequences of Reducing Renal Mass After Living Kidney Donation

Renal dysfunction is associated with accelerated cardiovascular disease even when kidney function is only mildly impaired. Besides, even levels of urinary albumin excretion below the accepted threshold for microalbuminuria are associated with increased cardiovascular risk, and the risk increases as the degree of proteinuria rises.

• Live-donor kidney transplantation is generally considered the best choice for patients who have renal failure and are awaiting transplantation, because these kidneys function better than kidneys from deceased donors, and waiting times for deceased-donor transplants are long. Although several studies have shown that kidney donation has low short-term morbidity and mortality, the data on long-term outcomes are much less complete. The short and long term renal functions of donors after kidney donation were much studied and still remain uncertain, the cardiovascular effects of reduction in renal mass in kidney donors is also not clearly known.
• Endothelial dysfunction (ED) is the first step for subsequent development of atherosclerosis, which can help us to assess the cardiovascular changes after kidney donation. Prospectively examining the endothelial consequences of uninephrectomy in donors may provide useful insight into the existence and pathophysiology of cardiovascular disease in donors and, therefore, into how the cardiovascular disease risk associated with renal impairment might eventually be reduced.

Inclusion criteria

• living kidney donors
• Ages of 18 and 70
• Creatinine clearance at donation > 80 ml/min/1.73 m2

Exclusion criteria

• Low (< 80 ml/min/1.73 m2) creatinine clearance at donation
• Diabetes mellitus
• Hypertension
• Valvular heart disease, any prior coronary intervention
• Congestive heart failure (New York Heart Association class II or greater)
• Cardiac arrhythmia
• A history of cerebral infarction or transient ischemic attack
• Active infection or non-infectious overt inflammation