Association of Dyslipidemia with Traditional Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Framingham Risk Scoring

Background: Dyslipidemia is a key modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and is highly prevalent among renal transplant recipients (RTRs). Traditional cardiovascular risk factors, such as hypertension, diabetes, and obesity, contribute to adverse cardiovascular outcomes. The Framingham Risk Score (FRS) is a widely used tool to estimate coronary heart disease (CHD) risk, incorporating lipid levels and other major risk factors. However, the association between dyslipidemia, traditional cardiovascular risk factors, and FRS in RTRs remains unclear. Objective: This study aimed to assess the relationship between dyslipidemia and traditional cardiovascular risk factors in RTRs and to evaluate the impact of dyslipidemia on FRS. Methodology: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted over 13 months (May 2019 – June 2020) at nephrology departments of multiple healthcare facilities in Bangladesh. A total of 105 RTRs, selected through purposive sampling, underwent clinical assessments, laboratory investigations, and FRS calculation. The prevalence of dyslipidemia was evaluated, and its associations with hypertension, diabetes, body mass index (BMI), and FRS were analyzed using SPSS version 16. Results: The majority of RTRs were male (88.6%) and aged ≤40 years (72.4%). Dyslipidemia was highly prevalent, affecting 88.0% of hypertensive patients, 100.0% of diabetics, and 100.0% of underweight and obese individuals. However, no statistically significant associations were found between dyslipidemia and hypertension (p = 0.498), diabetes (p = 0.455), or BMI (p = 0.470). Similarly, dyslipidemia did not show a significant correlation with FRS (p = 0.107), despite its high prevalence across all FRS categories. Conclusion: Dyslipidemia is highly prevalent among RTRs but is not significantly associated with traditional cardiovascular risk factors or FRS. These findings suggest that conventional cardiovascular risk models may not fully capture the complex risk profile of RTRs. Individualized lipid monitoring and tailored cardiovascular risk management strategies are essential for optimizing post-transplant care. Further studies with larger sample sizes and longitudinal designs are needed to elucidate the interplay between dyslipidemia, immunosuppressive therapy, and cardiovascular risk in RTRs.