Insulin resistance in kidney allograft recipients treated with calcineurin inhibitors

Post-transplant diabetes mellitus (PTDM) is one of the main complications observed in patients after organ transplantation. The incidence of PTDM in transplant recipients is about 9 times higher than in general population. The reported incidence of PTDM varied throughout the years due to different diagnostic criteria of diabetes mellitus. Nowadays the rate of PTDM amounts to 3-19%.

1270 patients after kidney transplantation, who remained under medical care in the outpatient service at the Transplantation Institute in Warsaw, were taken into consideration. The investigated group comprised 207 patients. 133 of them developed DM that constitutes the incidence of PTDM at 10.5%.

In the present study several risk factors that are important for PTDM development were observed: male gender, HLA A3, family history of DM, increased body weight (rather than BMI only), tacrolimus--based immunosuppressive regimen, early hyperglycemia. Patients with PTDM developed hypertension more frequently, had higher serum triglycerides levels in the period before the onset of diabetes. The rate of acute rejection episodes in this group was higher compared with the nondiabetic transplant controls. The PTDM group presented with worse graft function and higher levels of proteinuria in 1-year observation. Tacrolimus--based therapy led to higher peripheral insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia in comparison to cyclosporine--based regimen.

The proper management of the above described risk factors and the right treatment of PTDM may considerably influence life expectancy rate and quality of life in transplanted patients.