Cardiovascular Risk Assessment in Pediatric Liver Transplant Patients

Objectives: Cardiovascular (CV) diseases play a leading role in the mortality of adult liver transplant (LT) recipients. However, data regarding CV risk factors in children after LT remain sparse. The present study assessed the presence of CV risk factors and signs of CV impairment in LT children. Methods: A total of 42 LT recipients (21 men, age 9.93 ± 3.57 years) were studied. Body composition [body mass index standard deviation score, percentage of body fat (by bioimpedance analysis)], lipid profiles, glycemic control, blood pressure, and arterial stiffness [assessed by aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV)] were evaluated. The effect of different treatment modalities [tacrolimus (TAC) (n = 30) or cyclosporine (CyA) (n = 11)] was also analyzed. Results: Almost 18% of children were overweight or obese. Patients on TAC had a significantly higher body fat mass and percentage of body fat compared with the CyA group (P 
Source: Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition - Category: Gastroenterology Tags: Original Articles: Hepatology Source Type: research