CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE RISKS IN AMERICAN & KOREAN POST RENAL TRANSPLANTATION

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There is a high prevalence of coronary artery disease (CAD) among post-renal transplant patients in the US. Renal transplant patients have higher risks for CAD than the general population not only because they have pre-existing co-morbidities such as diabetes, hypertension, physical inactivity and other CAD risk factors of the type mentioned above, but also because other risk factors related to transplant status are higher. These include weight gain and hyperlipidemia due to certain drug-nutrient interactions and chronic use of immunosupressants such as prednisone and cyclosporine. The immunosuppressant-related risks of CAD in post-renal transplant patients include hyperlipidemia, rapid weight gain, steroid induced diabetes, fluid retention and alterations of serum homocysteine levels. Elevated homocysteine and perhaps lower dietary intakes of B-vitamins to maintain low homocysteine levels further increase CAD risk among transplant patients. In contrast to the many studies of American patients, few studies of Korean post-renal transplant patients' diets are available. The demographic characteristics, environmental factors including dietary intakes, body mass index (BMI), disease, the genetic backgrounds of Korean patients and the dialytic techniques employed are likely to be different from those American patients. It is therefore of interest to examine these characteristics and risk factors for CAD between selected, matched patients in the two countries.