Body mass index in the first year after kidney transplantation

Kidney transplant recipients (KTR) experience better appetite, partly due to the use of steroids, and are subjected to less severe dietetic restrictions, hence they tend to increase the uptake of calories, which favors weight gain posttransplantation. In this study, we evaluate the profile of body mass index (BMI) in the first year posttransplantation.

This was a retrospective study including 131 patients who received transplants between 1991 and 2011. We collected demographic and clinical data such as body weight and height, and calculated BMI pretransplantation and at 6 and 12 months posttransplantation.

Mean age was 47.1 ± 13.1 years, 64.9% were male, and 29% of patients were diabetic. Pretransplantation mean BMI was 23.04 ± 4.08 kg/m(2), and at 6 and 12 months posttransplantation it increased to 24.55 ± 4.2 kg/m(2) and 24.65 ± 4.16 kg/m(2), respectively (P < .001). At 6 months, this significant weight gain occurred in all patients, even those malnourished, eutrophic, overweight, and obese at pretransplantation. Looking at pretransplantation malnourished patients, 30.8% remained malnourished 1 year after transplantation. Otherwise, 28.6% of pretransplantation overweight patients and 100% of pretransplantation obese patients could be classified as obese at 1 year posttransplantation.

Increase in BMI is common in obese and nonobese KTR. This study highlights the importance of identifying subjects at risk for excessive weight gain posttransplantation, thus allowing an early nutritional intervention to prevent its complications.