Early development of metabolic syndrome in patients subjected to lung transplantation

Cardiovascular disease is a common cause of morbidity and mortality after solid organ transplantation, due to a combination of pre-existing cardiovascular risk factors and immunosuppressive drug toxicity. The prevalence of new-onset hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes mellitus, and metabolic syndrome was assessed after lung transplantation in a cohort of 67 patients (mean age: 48 ± 14 yr). The prevalence of hypertension increased from 19.4% to 70.1% at the three-yr follow-up visit (p < 0.01). The concomitant prevalence of diabetes and dyslipidemia raised from 13.4% to 31.3%, and from 6.0% to 40.3%, respectively (p < 0.01 for both), and body mass index increased from 22.4 ± 3.7 to 26.1 ± 3.9 kg/m(2) (p < 0.01). The prevalence of metabolic syndrome increased from 3.0% to 23.9% after the first year, to remain stable thereafter, associated with a strict control of cardiovascular risk factors. A large number of lung transplant recipients develop new-onset hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia after transplantation, and in more than one-fifth metabolic syndrome can be diagnosed after the first year. The increased cardiovascular risk of these patients should be taken into account during follow-up, to better define a proper and timely cardiovascular prevention. Adequate control of cardiovascular risk factors, preventing further metabolic syndrome development, is recommended and feasible in lung transplant recipients.