Circulating Fibroblast Growth Factor-23 is Associated with Cardiovascular Prognosis and Graft Function in Renal Transplant Recipients

Purpose The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between Fibroblast Growth Factor-23 (FGF23) serum levels and cardiovascular disease and early graft failure in renal transplant recipients. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted on renal transplant recipients followed by our adult kidney transplant clinic. The patients were divided into two groups according to the mean FGF23 levels (mean FGF23 level=71.2 ± 34.6pg/mL). The patients included in the study were classified as Group 1 (FGF23 <71 pg/mL, n= 42) and Group 2 (FGF23 ≥ 71pg/mL, n= 46) and the data was analyzed as a statistical significance between the two groups. The presence of atherosclerosis was determined by a Doppler ultrasound for evaluate the carotid artery intima-media thickness (CA-IMT). Intrarenal Doppler spectra were obtained with same Doppler ultrasound to determine the renal resistivity index (RRI) for evaluate graft renal failure. Results A total of 88 kidney transplantation recipients were included in the study. In the multivariate analysis adjusted for age and gender, the eGFR (β =-0.217, p=0.048), CA-IMT (β =0.318, p=0.009) and RRI (β =0.246, p=0.019) parameters were statistically significant, while the remaining parameters were not statistically significant. In the group analysis, Ca (9.6 ± 0.3 vs. 8.8 ± 0,2, p< 0.05), CA-IMT (0.9 ± 0.2, vs. 0.6 ± 0.3, p< 0.05) and RRI (0.69 ± 0.04 vs. 0.60 ± 0.01, p< 0.05) were significantly higher in the patients in group 2 than the patients in group 1. Conclusion According to our results, FGF23 can be considered as a descriptive biomarker for cardiovascular prognosis and graft function for patients with kidney transplantation.