Unfortunately, I can’t get access to the entire article ($$$) so this is from the abstract.
38 living kidney donors were included in the study.
“The mean serum interleukin-6 levels, both at 3 months and 12 months, were significantly increased as compared to the baseline (P=0.007 and P<0.001, respectively).”
Interleukin-6 stimulates inflammatory and auto-immune responses. Elevated levels of Interleukin-6 have been found in folks with congestive heart failure, and may contribute to myocardial (heart) damage.
“The mean serum asymmetric dimethyl-arginine (P<0.001) and VCAM levels (P<0.001) at 12 months were significantly increased as compared to baseline.”
ADMA i a by-product of protein synthesis andfound in blood plasma. Raised levels of ADMA seem to be associated with cardiovascular disease. Specifically, ADMA plays a crucial role in vascular (blood vessel) tone and structure.
“FMD values at 1 year (9.3%+/-7.1%) were significantly decreased as compared to 3 months (13.0%+/-6.0%, P=0.001) and baseline (13.9%+/-6.3%, P=0.002).”
FMD = Flow-Mediated dilation. FMD is a way to measure how blood flows through, in this case, the brachial artery (upper arm). If the FMD drops, it can signal damage to the endothelium, the inner lining of the blood vessels.
“In multivariate analysis, serum uric acid (P=0.001), estimated glomerular filtration rate (P=0.027), and VCAM (P=0.014) levels were the independent predictors of FMD 12 months after kidney donation.”
VCAM = vascular cell adhesion molecule. Which is pretty much what it sounds like. It helps in maintaining the inner lining of the blood vessels (endothelium).
Conclusion: Our findings suggest that kidney donation might increase the cardiovascular risk in kidney donors.
Yilmaz BA, Caliskan Y, Yilmaz A, Ozkok A, Bilge AK, Deniz G, Sariyar M, & Yildiz A (2014). Cardiovascular-Renal Changes After Kidney Donation: One-Year Follow-Up Study. Transplantation PMID: 25226174
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