Glucose intolerance in renal transplant recipients is associated with increased urinary albumin excretion

New-onset diabetes mellitus after transplantation (NODAT) is a common and serious complication of renal transplantation, and its incidence is known to be increased by immunosuppressive therapy. It has been reported that urinary albumin excretion is a potent predictor of NODAT. This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between glucose intolerance and urinary albumin excretion in renal transplant recipients.

A cross-sectional study of 101 renal transplant recipients without prior evidence of diabetes was conducted. All patients underwent an oral glucose tolerance test with 75g of glucose.

The patients with glucose intolerance had a significantly greater urinary albumin excretion than those with normal glucose tolerance. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that the increase of urinary albumin excretion correlated significantly with the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance and systolic pressure.

These results indicated that glucose intolerance is associated with increased albuminuria in renal transplant recipients. The rise in insulin resistance and systolic pressure may contribute to the increase of urinary albumin excretion in renal transplant recipients.