Transplant Trial Watch

Genetic markers associated with long-term cardiovascular outcome in kidney transplant recipients.

Pihlstrøm, H. K., Mjøen, G. et al. (2018).

Am J Transplant; 19(5):1444-1451.


Aims
The study aimed to evaluate the predictive value of the risk score in renal transplant recipients (RTRs) in relation to cardiovascular risk levels.

Interventions
This is a post-hoc analysis of the Assessment of Lescol in Renal Transplantation (ALERT) trial, which compared fluvastatin with placebo.

Participants
1640 participants from the ALERT trial (Assessment of Lescol in Renal Transplantation).

Outcomes
Primary outcome was assessed as time from study inclusion to incidence of first major cardiovascular event (MACE). Secondary endpoints included: time from inclusion to cardiac death, all cause death, and death‐censored graft loss.

Follow-up
5.2 Years

CET Conclusions
Data from the ALERT trial (Assessment of Lescol in Renal Transplantation), which compared fluvastatin with placebo in stable renal transplant recipients, were used to validate the genetic risk score in a transplant population. Of all 2039 patients included in the ALERT trial, 1640 were included who had DNA samples for genotyping and were genotyped for 27 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that are included in the genetic risk score. Associations between genotype at each of the 27 loci and major cardiovascular events were tested in Cox regression analyses. Missing data for each SNP were imputed using the population mean (only in 1% of the population). The authors conclude further genetic studies are needed that use broader gene panels.

Jadad score
4

Data analysis
Strict intention-to-treat analysis

Allocation concealment
Yes

Trial registration
None

Funding source
Industry funded