Objectives: Kidney transplantation (KTx) may improve arterial stiffness. The purpose of the present study is to examine the effects of KTx on aortic stiffness after 2 years of follow-up.

Method: In this prospective, longitudinal observational study, we studied hemodynamic parameters prior to KTx and 3, 6 and 24 months after a KTx in 59 dialysis patients. Aortic stiffness was measured by carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cf-PWV) and heart rate adjusted central augmentation index (AIx) was measured by arterial tonometry. A successful KTx was defined by an estimated eGFR of ≥45 mL/min/1.73m2. Linear mixed model was used to take into account the repeated measures of aortic stiffness and mean blood pressure. Values are reported as mean±SEM

Results: The mean age was 48 years, with 70% male, 20% with cardiovascular disease and 25% diabetes. After adjusting for mean blood pressure, cf-PWV decreased significantly from 11.2±0.33 to 10.3±0.30 by 3 months (P=0.042), but cf-PWV gradually increased to 10.8±0.31 and 11.2±0.33 (m/s) by 6 and 24 months and was not statistically different from the baseline. In an analysis stratified by age, the early improvement of aortic stiffness was only statistically significant for patients older than 50 years of age. However, MBP-adjusted AIx did not change significantly after KTx.

Conclusion: This study shows that there is an early reduction in aortic stiffness after KTx with a gradual return in aortic stiffness to baseline values after 2 years of follow-up. This study suggests a reduction in the rate of progression of aortic stiffness after KTx.