The relation between serum testosterone levels and cardiovascular risk factors in patients with kidney transplantation and chronic kidney disease.

The objective of the study is to evaluate the relationship between serum testosterone levels and cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF) in patients after kidney transplantation and with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Seventy-five male patients, aged between 18 and 68 years, who had kidney transplantation at least six months earlier, were enrolled into the study. Only renal transplant recipients and CKD patients with a creatinine level of <2.5 mg/dL were included in this study. Patients were divided into three groups as patients receiving calcineurine inhibitors (CNIs) and Mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitors (m-TORi) and CKD. Serum ceatinine, testosterone, follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), prolactin, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG) as well as left ventricle mass (LVM), left ventricle mass index (LVMI), left atrium (LA), inferior vena cava (IVC) inspiratory and expiratory diameters and collapse index (CI) and blood pressure (BP) were evaluated. Serum testosterone levels were significantly higher in the m-TORi and CNIs groups when compared with the CKD cases (P <0.05). When kidney recipients (both groups) were compared with CKD patients, we observed positive outcomes in serum testosterone levels and CVRF at significant levels. There was no significant difference in terms of age, serum creatinine, serum testosterone, FSH, LH, prolactin, hs-CRP, LVMI, TC and TG and between the CNIs and mTORi groups (P >0.05). Serum testosterone levels were independent risk factors affecting IVC collapse index, systolic BP and LA. m-TORi and CNIs drugs might have no negative effect on serum testosterone levels, and improvement of the serum testosterone levels after transplantation might have a positive contribution on cardiac risk factors.