Treatment of Hypercholesterolemia in the Kidney Transplant Recipient Population

The prevalence of dyslipidemias in kidney transplant recipients is very high particularly common as increases in total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein. Hyperlipidemia contribute to the risk of premature atherosclerosis and cardiovascular death in these patients. Kidney transplant patients should be considered to be in the highest risk category for atherosclerotic coronary heart disease and evaluation of dyslipidemia should occur for kidney transplant recipient population at presentation, after a change in status and annually. Beneficial effects of statins specific to the kidney transplant population that have been demonstrated previously include favorable effects on cardiac events, acute rejection, associations with improved patient survival, lower blood pressure, and improved bone mineral density. In this review, the treatment strategy of hyperlipidemia in kidney transplant recipient population will be discussed.