TABLE 1.
Baseline characteristics of 561 kidney transplant recipients and associations of these characteristics with circulating galectin-3
| Galectin-3 (ln) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Baseline characteristics | All patients | †Linear regression | ‡Stepwise backwards linear regression |
| Std. β | Std. β | ||
| Kidney transplant recipients, n (%) | 561 (100) | – | – |
| Galectin-3, ng/mL, median (IQR) | 21.1 (17.0–27.2) | – | – |
| Demographics and anthropometrics | |||
| Age, y, mean (SD) | 52 (12) | 0.10*** | ~ |
| Sex, male, n (%) | 304 (54) | –0.04 | |
| Body surface area, m2, mean (SD) | 1.89 (0.19) | 0.09** | ~ |
| Body mass index, kg/m2, mean (SD) | 26.0 (4.3) | 0.16*** | 0.11*** |
| Kidney graft function | |||
| eGFR, mL/min/1.73 m2, mean (SD) | 47 (16) | –0.58*** | –0.47*** |
| Proteinuria ≥0.5 g/24 h, n (%)a | 162 (29) | 0.03 | |
| Cardiovascular history and lifestyle | |||
| History of cardiovascular disease, n (%)b | 71 (13) | 0.01 | |
| NTpro-BNP, pg/mL, median (IQR) | 305 (131–672) | 0.13*** | ~ |
| High-sensitive troponin T, µg/L, median (IQR) | 0.014 (0.008–0.025) | 0.26*** | 0.15*** |
| Systolic blood pressure, mm Hg, mean (SD) | 153 (23) | 0.04 | |
| Diastolic blood pressure, mm Hg, mean (SD) | 90 (10) | 0.02 | |
| Use of antihypertensives, n (%) | 491 (88) | 0.04 | |
| Use of ACE-inhibitors or ARBs, n (%) | 195 (35) | 0.05* | |
| Use of β-blockers, n (%) | 347 (62) | –0.004 | |
| Use of calcium-antagonists, n (%) | 216 (39) | 0.001 | |
| Current or former-smoker, n (%) | 362 (65) | –0.01 | |
| Alcohol use, none, n (%)c | 272 (49) | – | |
| 1–7 units/wk, n (%) | 201 (36) | –0.06* | |
| >7 units/wk, n (%) | 79 (14) | –0.03 | |
| Diabetes and glucose homeostasis | |||
| Diabetes mellitus, n (%) | 101 (18) | 0.09*** | ~ |
| HbA1c, %, mean (SD)d | 6.5 (1.1) | 0.07* | ~ |
| HOMA-IR, score, median (IQR) | 2.3 (1.6–3.6) | 0.12*** | ~ |
| Laboratory parameters | |||
| Hemoglobin, g/dL, mean (SD)a | 8.5 (0.9) | –0.03 | |
| Lipids | |||
| Total cholesterol, mmol/L, mean (SD) | 5.6 (1.1) | 0.02 | |
| HDL cholesterol, mmol/L, mean (SD) | 1.1 (0.3) | –0.10*** | ~ |
| LDL cholesterol, mmol/L, mean (SD) | 3.5 (1.0) | –0.06* | ~ |
| Triglycerides, mmol/L, median (IQR) | 1.92 (1.41–2.65) | 0.21*** | 0.12*** |
| Use of statins, n (%) | 281 (50) | 0.02 | |
| Systemic and vascular inflammation | |||
| hs-CRP, mg/L, median (IQR) | 2.1 (0.8–5.1) | 0.15*** | 0.09** |
| sVCAM-1, ng/mL, median (IQR) | 768 (967–1200) | 0.19*** | 0.15*** |
| Kidney transplant and immunosuppressive therapy | |||
| Dialysis vintage, mo, median (IQR) | 27 (13–48) | 0.08** | ~ |
| Time since transplantation, y, median (IQR) | 6.1 (2.7–11.7) | 0.06* | 0.10*** |
| Donor characteristics | |||
| Donor type (living), n (%) | 78 (14) | –0.10*** | ~ |
| Donor age, y, median (IQR) | 37 (15) | –0.07* | ~ |
| Donor sex, male, n (%)e | 304 (54) | 0.06* | ~ |
| Use of calcineurin inhibitor, n (%) | 438 (78) | –0.02 | |
| Use of proliferation inhibitor, n (%)b | 414 (74) | –0.08** | ~ |
| Acute rejection treatment, high doses of steroids, n (%) | 173 (31) | 0.05* | ~ |
| Prednisolone, mg/d, median (IQR)f | 10.0 (7.5–10.0) | 0.03 | |
*P < 0.2; **P < 0.05; ***P < 0.01.
Linear regression analyses, †adjusted for age, sex, and eGFR.
Std. β coefficients represent the difference (in SDs) in galectin-3 per 1 SD increment in continuous characteristics or for categorical characteristics the difference (in SDs) in galectin-3 compared with the implied reference group.
‡Stepwise backwards linear regression analyses; for inclusion we performed forward selection of baseline characteristics according to preceding multivariable linear regression analyses (P value for inclusion <0.2); for exclusion P value were set at 0.05. ~Excluded from the final model.
Data available in a559, b557, c552, d560, e558, and f554.
ACE, angiotensin converting enzyme; ARB, angiotensin II receptor blocker; HbA1c, hemoglobin A1C; HDL, high-density lipoprotein; HOMA-IR, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance; hs-CRP, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein; LDL, low-density lipoprotein; NTpro-BNP, N-terminal pro b-type natriuretic peptide; SVCAM-1, soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule 1.