Research
Impact of Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring on Living Kidney Donation
Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) offers superior prognostic information compared to office blood pressure readings. ABPM is more closely associated with target-organ damage due to hypertension and is a better predictor of cardiovascular events. In addition, ABPM allows examination of the diurnal rhythm of blood pressure, which predicts cardiovascular events and progression of renal failure in high-risk groups.
Living kidney donors provide an interesting group in which to study ABPM. By evaluating donors prior to donation and following them after donation, we can learn the effects of uninephrectomy on blood pressure and the rhythm of blood pressure. Further, long-term outcomes of living donors have not been well-studied and this has become an important area of research, especially as the number of living kidney donors continues to grow. By prospectively examining ambulatory blood pressure as well as renal function, we can learn more about physiologic and health effects of living donation and identify risk factors for poor outcomes.
Publications
Ommen ES, Klotman PE. HIV-associated nephropathy: Epidemiology, pathogenesis, and treatment.. Semin Nephrol 2003 Mar; 23(2): 200-8.
Ommen ES, Schroppel B, Kim JY, Gaspard G, Akalin E, de Boccardo G, Sehgal V, Lipkowitz MS, Murphy B. Routine use of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in potential living kidney donors. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol 2007; 2(5): 1030-1036.
Ommen ES, Lipkowitz MS. The role of ambulatory BP monitoring in clinical care. Geriatrics 2007; 62(8): 11-14.
Ommen ES, Winston JA, Murphy B. Medical Risks of Living Kidney Donation: Absence of Proof is Not Proof of Absence. Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology 2006; 1: 885-895.
