Reverse dipper pattern of blood pressure at 3 months is associated with inflammation and outcome after renal transplantation.

Background: Cardiovascular disease is the major cause of morbidity and mortality after renal transplantation. It has been shown that both traditional and transplant-specific risk factors contribute to the high cardiovascular burden after renal transplantation The aim is to evaluate the association among ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) at 3 months, inflammation and graft outcome.

Methods: ABPM at 3 months was performed in 126 consecutive renal transplants. According to the nocturnal reduction of systolic blood pressure (SBP), dipper (ΔSBP ≥ 10%), non-dipper (0 < ΔSBP < 10%) and reverse dipper (SBP nocturnal rise) pattern were defined. The outcome variable was the combination of any cardiovascular event and graft failure for any reason.

Results: Circadian blood pressure pattern was dipper (n = 22), non-dipper (n = 65) and reverse dipper (n = 39). Reverse dipper pattern was associated with pre-transplant diabetes (18 versus 2%, P = 0.004), body mass index (26.9 ± 5.0 versus 24.8 ± 3.8 kg/m(2), P = 0.001), calcineurin inhibitor treatment (74 versus 54%, P = 0.001) and serum soluble tumour necrosis factor receptor 2 levels (18 ± 15 versus 11 ± 6 ng/mL, P = 0.010). During 45 ± 11 months of follow-up, 22 patients reached the combined outcome variable. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that reverse dipper pattern [relative risk (RR): 3.50 and 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.36-8.93; P = 0.009] and creatinine clearance (RR: 0.94 and 95% CI: 0.91-0.98, P = 0.003) were independently associated with outcome.

Conclusion: The reverse dipper circadian pattern is associated with inflammation and constitutes an independent predictor of graft outcome.