Transthoracic Echocardiographic Findings in Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease Awaiting Kidney Transplantation

Background. The high prevalence of classic cardiovascular risk factors in patients undergoing dialysis therapy or transplantation is associated with a 3.5- to 50-fold higher risk than in the general population. The primary cause of death in transplant recipients is cardiovascular disease. Objective. To report echocardiographic findings using a screening protocol to detect heart disease in candidates for kidney transplantation. Methods. Between November 2005 and December 2009, we examined 356 patients using 2-dimensional color Doppler echocardiography. Results. A high prevalence of left ventricular hypertrophy, left ventricular diastolic dysfunction, valvulopathy, and valve calcification was observed. There was a positive correlation between valve calcification and female sex, age (P < .001), duration of renal replacement therapy (P = .01), peripheral arterial disease (P = .02), cerebrovascular disease (P = .005), and high concentration of lipoprotein(a) (P = .02). Conclusion. An echocardiographic study should be part of the initial evaluation in candidates for renal transplantation.