Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of the study participants according to levels of marine n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids
| Variables | All Patients | Quartile 1 | Quartile 2 | Quartile 3 | Quartile 4 | P Value (Trend) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marine n-3 PUFA level, wt% | 1.35–23.87 | ≤6.20 | 6.21–7.94 | 7.95–10.02 | ≥10.03 | |
| No. of patients | 1990 | 499 | 499 | 495 | 497 | |
| Recipient age, yr | 51.6 (14.6) | 43.3 (14.0) | 51.6 (14.1) | 54.2 (13.3) | 57.3 (13.1) | <0.001 |
| Sex (men), % | 66.9 | 69.0 | 64.8 | 65.6 | 68.3 | 0.90 |
| Tacrolimus, % | 23.1 | 35.5 | 22.2 | 19.4 | 15.3 | <0.001 |
| Cyclosporin A, % | 74.2 | 11.9 | 17.3 | 15.9 | 16.0 | 0.13 |
| Cerebrovascular disease, % | 5.2 | 4.2 | 5.8 | 6.0 | 4.8 | 0.66 |
| Peripheral vascular disease, % | 8.0 | 6.2 | 9.3 | 8.2 | 8.2 | 0.37 |
| Diabetes mellitus, % | 18.2 | 23.5 | 21.1 | 15.3 | 13.0 | <0.001 |
| Current smoker, % | 16.0 | 23.5 | 18.0 | 12.9 | 9.4 | <0.001 |
| Former smoker, % | 36.2 | 30.2 | 37.7 | 36.5 | 40.4 | 0.002 |
| No. of antihypertensive drugs, % | 0.22 | |||||
| None or one | 54.4 | 56.3 | 55.1 | 53.5 | 52.7 | |
| Two or three | 41.2 | 39.0 | 41.6 | 41.9 | 42.3 | |
| Four or more | 4.4 | 4.6 | 3.2 | 4.6 | 5.0 | |
| Body mass index, kg/m2 | 24.8 (3.9) | 24.6 (4.2) | 24.7 (3.9) | 25.0 (3.7) | 24.9 (3.5) | 0.09 |
| Total cholesterol, mg/dl | 244.4 (59.0) | 238.2 (60.6) | 243.2 (56.4) | 249.8 (59.1) | 246.7 (59.5) | 0.01 |
| Albumin, g/dl | 4.00 (0.37) | 4.06 (0.40) | 3.98 (0.36) | 3.98 (0.34) | 3.98 (0.35) | 0.001 |
| Time in dialysis, mo | 9 (0–19) | 8 (0–18) | 9 (1–20) | 8 (0–18) | 9 (1–19) | 0.21 |
| Preemptive transplantation, % | 25.2 | 27.0 | 23.9 | 25.6 | 24.2 | 0.41 |
| First renal transplantation, % | 90.3 | 88.2 | 88.8 | 92.0 | 92.2 | 0.01 |
| eGFR, ml/min per 1.73 m2 | 56.9 (18.8) | 64.5 (20.4) | 56.5 (18.3) | 54.2 (17.3) | 52.6 (16.9) | <0.001 |
| Delayed graft function, % | 6.3 | 6.8 | 6.6 | 8.6 | 3.6 | 0.26 |
| Early rejection episode, % | 27.7 | 27.8 | 29.7 | 27.3 | 26.3 | 0.44 |
| Donor age, yr | 47.2 (16.1) | 44.2 (15.7) | 46.1 (16.7) | 49.3 (15.3) | 49.5 (16.1) | <0.001 |
| Living donor transplantation, % | 37.8 | 42.1 | 33.2 | 41.4 | 34.7 | 0.08 |
| No. of HLA mismatches, % | 0.23 | |||||
| None or one | 15.7 | 20.5 | 11.5 | 14.9 | 16.0 | |
| Two | 23.4 | 20.3 | 24.1 | 25.6 | 23.2 | |
| Three | 32.9 | 31.2 | 34.6 | 32.2 | 33.5 | |
| Four or more | 28.0 | 28.0 | 29.8 | 27.4 | 27.1 |
Baseline characteristics of the study population according to marine n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) levels defined as the sum of plasma phospholipid eicosapentaenoic acid, docosapentaenoic acid, and docosahexaenoic acid levels in weight percentage (wt%) of total plasma phospholipid fatty acids. Results are presented as proportions for categorical data, medians and interquartile ranges for time in dialysis, and means and SDs for other continuous data. Differences in baseline characteristics were evaluated using the Mantel–Haenszel test of linear trend for categorical data, the Kruskal–Wallis test for time in dialysis, and linear regression for other continuous data. Pretransplant diabetes mellitus, coronary artery, cerebrovascular and peripheral vascular disease were recorded before first renal transplantation. Recipient and donor age, deceased or living donor, time in dialysis, number of HLA mismatches, and smoking status were recorded at the time of transplantation. Choice of calcineurin inhibitor, number of antihypertensive drugs, delayed graft function, early rejection episodes, body mass index, eGFR using the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease formula, total cholesterol, and albumin values were recorded at a clinical appointment 10 weeks post-transplant.