Table 1. Baseline clinical characteristics.
| HTx recipients (n = 77) |
|
|---|---|
| Recipient age at transplantation (years) | 46.6 ± 15.7 |
| Donor age (years) | 43.4 ± 13.2 |
| Recipient (male) | 57 (74) |
| Primary cause of HTx | |
| Dilated cardiomyopathy | 36 (47) |
| Ischemic cardiomyopathy | 27 (35) |
| Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy | 5 (6) |
| Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy | 2 (3) |
| Valvular heart disease | 2 (3) |
| Other causes* | 5 (6) |
| Cardiac risk factors | |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 24.6 ± 4.7 |
| Hypertension | 30 (39) |
| Systolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 130 ± 17 |
| Diastolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 78 ± 12 |
| HbA1c | 5.8 ± 0.7 |
| Active smoker | 9 (12) |
| eGFR (mL/min) | 65.2 ± 27.3 |
| CMV serology, donor positiv/recipient negativ | 21 (27) |
| CMV infection | 29 (38) |
| Severe TRS ≥ 2R | 0.040 ± 0.052 |
| Lipids | |
| Hypercholesterolemia | 37 (48) |
| Total cholesterol (mmol/L) | 5.3 ± 1.5 |
| HDL cholesterol (mmol/L) | 1.6 ± 0.5 |
| LDL cholesterol (mmol/L) | 3.2 ± 1.2 |
| Triglycerides (mmol/L) | 2.2 ± 1.5 |
| Medication | |
| ACEi / ARB | 54 (70) |
| Beta Blocker | 21 (27) |
| Calcium channel blocker | 24 (31) |
| Aspirin or Clopidogrel | 51 (66) |
| Statin | 77 (100) |
| Ezetimibe | 19 (25) |
| Immunosuppressive Regimes | |
| Everolimus, MMF, Prednisone | 24 (31) |
| Everolimus, MMF | 13 (17) |
| Everolimus, Prednisone | 3 (4) |
| Everolimus, AZA, Prednisone | 1 (1) |
| Tacrolimus, MMF | 18 (23) |
| Tacrolimus, MMF, Prednisone | 12 (16) |
| Tacrolimus, Prednisone | 4 (5) |
| Tacrolimus, AZA | 2 (3) |
| Echocardiography | |
| LVEF (%) | 62 ± 6 |
Categorical variables are shown as number (%). Continuous variables are shown as mean ± SD
HTx, heart transplantation; BMI, body mass index; eGFR, estimated glomerular filtration rate; CMV, cytomegalovirus; TRS, total rejection score; HDL, high-density lipoprotein; LDL, low-density lipoprotein; ACEi, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor; ARB, angiotensin receptor blocker; MMF, Mycophenolate mofetil; AZA, Azathioprin; LVEF, left ventricular ejection fraction
*Other causes: congenital heart disease (1 patient), giant cell myocarditis (1 patient), Naxos-Syndrome (1 patient), myofibrillar myopathy (1 patient), biventricular heart failure of unknown etiology (1 patient)