12 May 2026 : Original article
A Retrospective Study of 518 Kidney Transplant Recipients to Evaluate the Association of Antiplatelet Therapy With Long-Term Cardiovascular Events and All-Cause Mortality
Gavin Christy BCEF 1, Andres Mata ABE 2, Zalan Shah B 1, Ananta M.H. Sriram B 1, Diana Pfeiffer B 1, Taylor R. Coffman
B 1, Madeline K. Johnson E 1, Sahita Gandra E 1, Krista L. Lentine ADEG 3, Mina M. Benjamin ADE 4*
DOI: 10.12659/AOT.951325
Ann Transplant 2026; 31:e951325
Table 1 Baseline demographics, comorbidities, laboratory values, and medications among 518 kidney transplant recipients, stratified by exposure to antiplatelet therapy after transplantation. Primary prevention subgroups include patients without known cardiovascular disease.
| Variable | No AP (n=343) | AP (n=175) | P value | No AP primary prevention (n=276) | AP primary prevention (n=92) | P value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male sex, n (%) | 178 (51.9) | 117 (66.9) | 134 (48.6) | 57 (62.0) | ||
| Age (years) | 51.1±13.5 | 58.3±10.9 | 49.8±13.6 | 56.9±12.6 | ||
| Ethnicity (%) | ||||||
| White | 163 (47.5) | 79 (45.1) | 0.41 | 136 (49.3) | 41 (44.6) | 0.14 |
| Black | 165 (48.1) | 81 (49.1) | 129 (46.7) | 42 (45.7) | ||
| Hispanic | 11 (3.2) | 6 (3.4) | 7 (2.5) | 6 (6.5) | ||
| Other | 4 (1.2) | 9 (5.1) | 4 (1.4) | 3 (3.3) | ||
| Body mass index (kg/m) | 29.4±6.0 | 29.8±4.9 | 0.45 | 29.4±6.1 | 29.4±4.9 | 0.99 |
| Smoking history (%) | 230 (68.5) | 109 (63.0) | 0.35 | 183 (68.0) | 60 (66.7) | 0.84 |
| Hypertension (%) | 302 (89.9) | 161 (93.1) | 0.24 | 239 (88.8) | 82 (91.1) | 0.55 |
| Sleep apnea (%) | 89 (26.3) | 63 (36.0) | 63 (23.1) | 31 (33.7) | ||
| Diabetes mellitus (%) | 95 (27.7) | 94 (53.7) | 54 (19.6) | 39 (42.4) | ||
| Coronary artery disease (%) | 67 (20.1) | 83 (48.5) | – | – | – | |
| Cerebrovascular disease (%) | 8 (2.3) | 12 (6.9) | – | – | – | |
| No dialysis (%) | 51 (14.9) | 15 (29.1) | 41 (14.9) | 10 (10.9) | 0.34 | |
| Hemodialysis (%) | 188 (54.8) | 122 (69.7) | 143 (51.8) | 63 (68.5) | ||
| Peritoneal dialysis (%) | 104 (30.3) | 38 (21.7) | 92 (33.3) | 19 (20.7) | ||
| Dialysis duration (months) | 120.5 (101) | 118.3 (78.4) | 0.82 | 113.7 (101) | 120.1 (91) | 0.66 |
| Nuclear stress test | 66 (19.2) | 53 (30.3) | 52 (18.8) | 24 (26.1) | 0.14 | |
| Stress echo | 236 (68.8) | 121 (69.1) | 0.94 | 190 (68.8) | 62 (67.4) | 0.79 |
| PCI | 23 (6.8) | 40 (23.0) | – | – | – | |
| Hemoglobin, g/dL | 10.6 (1.7) | 10.7 (2.1) | 0.69 | 10.6 (1.8) | 10.8 (2.4) | 0.29 |
| HbA1c, % | 5.5 (0.9) | 5.9 (1.1) | 5.3 (0.9) | 5.5 (0.9) | ||
| Serum creatinine, mg/dL | 1.44±0.74 | 1.43±0.84 | 1.39±0.63 | 1.40±0.63 | ||
| Glomerular filtration rate, mL/min/1.73 m | 54.6±16.2 | 54.2±16.9 | 0.83 | 54.9±15.8 | 53.0±13.7 | |
| ACEi/ARB | 74 (21.6) | 46 (26.3) | 0.23 | 61 (22.1) | 29 (31.5) | 0.07 |
| Calcium channel blockers | 179 (52.2) | 92 (52.6) | 0.93 | 146 (52.9) | 46 (50.0) | 0.63 |
| Beta-adrenergic antagonists | 199 (58.0) | 125 (71.4) | 162 (58.7) | 66 (71.7) | ||
| Diuretics | 94 (27.4) | 49 (28.0) | 0.89 | 78 (28.3) | 26 (28.3) | 0.99 |
| Continuous variables are reported as mean ± standard deviation; categorical variables are reported as number (percentage). AP – antiplatelet; ACEi – angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor; ARB – angiotensin receptor blocker; HbA1c – glycated hemoglobin; PCI – percutaneous coronary intervention. | ||||||