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Nutritional status of renal transplant patients
A S du Plessis1, H Randall, E Escreet
1Department of Human Nutrition, University of Stellenbosch and Tygerberg Hospital, W Cape.
Objective:
To assess the effect of renal transplantation on the nutritional status of patients.
Design:
Prospective descriptive study.
Setting:
Renal Transplant Clinic at Tygerberg Hospital, Western Cape.
Subjects:
Fifty-eight renal transplant patients from Tygerberg Hospital were enrolled in the study. The sample was divided into two groups of 29 patients each: group 1, less than 28 months post-transplant; and group 2, more than 28 months post-transplant.
Outcome Measures:
Nutritional status assessment comprised biochemical evaluation, a dietary history, anthropometric measurements and a clinical examination.
Results:
Serum vitamin B6 levels were below normal in 56% of patients from group 1 and 59% from group 2. Vitamin B6 intake, however, was insufficient in only 14% of patients from group 1 and 10% from group 2. Serum vitamin C levels were below normal in 7% of patients from group 1 and 24% from group 2, while vitamin C intake was insufficient in 21% and 14% of patients from groups 1 and 2 respectively. Serum magnesium levels were below normal in 55% of patients from group 1, and in 28% from group 2. Serum albumin and cholesterol levels increased significantly during the post-transplant period in the total sample (P = 0.0001). There was also a significant increase in body mass index (P = 0.0001) during the post-transplant period.
Conclusions:
Several nutritional abnormalities were observed, which primarily reflect the side-effects of immunosuppressive therapy. The causes, consequences and treatment of the vitamin B6 and vitamin C deficiencies in renal transplant recipients need further investigation.