Haematologica (Apr 2019)

Asymmetric dimethylarginine serum levels are associated with early mortality after allogeneic stem cell transplantation

  • Aleksandar Radujkovic,
  • Hao Dai,
  • Lambros Kordelas,
  • Dietrich Beelen,
  • Sivaramakrishna P. Rachakonda,
  • Carsten Müller-Tidow,
  • Rajiv Kumar,
  • Peter Dreger,
  • Thomas Luft

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3324/haematol.2018.202267
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 104, no. 4

Abstract

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Increasing evidence suggests that endothelial cell distress is associated with mortality after allogeneic stem cell transplantation and acute graft-versus-host disease. Asymmetric dimethylarginine is an endogenous nitric oxide synthase inhibitor that induces endothelial cell dysfunction. We analyzed the impact of pre-transplant serum levels of asymmetric dimethylarginine on outcome after allogeneic stem cell transplantation. Since acute graft-versus-host disease and its treatment are major contributors to post-transplant mortality, the effect of asymmetric dimethylarginine on outcome measures was also assessed after onset of acute graft-versus-host disease. A total of 938 patients allografted at two centers between 2002 and 2013 were included in the retrospective study. In multivariable models, higher pre-transplant asymmetric dimethylarginine levels were significantly associated with an increased risk of non-relapse mortality (hazard ratio 1.43 per 1-log2 increase, P=0.005) but not with relapse (hazard ratio 1.21, P=0.109) within the first year after transplantation. This translated into worse overall survival (hazard ratio 1.45, P