ABSTRACT
Cardiovascular disease is a frequent cause of morbidity after kidney transplantation. Its impact on patient and graft survival is becoming more and more important as the age of the recipient and the allograft longevity are progressively increasing. Death with a functioning allograft is now a leading cause of renal allograft failure, especially in the late post-transplant period (Kasiske, 2002; Cecka, 2003). Although infection and malignancies greatly contribute to post-transplant mortality, the most common cause of death after renal transplantation is cardiovascular disease (Rigatto, 2003; Cecka, 2003). Thus, further improvement in longterm renal allograft survival may also depend on our ability to reduce cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.
