Weight gain in renal transplant recipients in a Polish single centre

Excess weight is a risk factor for adverse cardiovascular events and affects patient and graft survival after renal transplantation (RT). The aim of the study was to measure the awareness of body mass index (BMI), overweight, and obesity, and to compare it with renal function, BMI, and obesity-related morbidities in renal transplant recipients (RTRs).

Fifty-three randomly-selected RTRs completed a survey. The survey results were correlated to BMI and serum creatinine at 3 months after RT (+3), 1 year after RT (+12), at the moment of survey (+S), and to the incidences of new-onset diabetes after transplantation (NODAT) and arterial hypertension (AH).

The time between (+3) and (+S) ranged from 1 to 20 years. The questionnaire revealed that 61.8% of patients did not use BMI to evaluate their body mass, they did not distinguish between overweight and obesity, and only 40% of RTRs obtained information about obesity from physicians. At (+3), obesity was found in 9% and overweight in 27% of RTRs in comparison to 17% and 39% at (+S), respectively (p<0.05). Serum creatinine between (+3) and (+S) increased insignificantly in all patients regardless of their BMI. NODAT was found in 9.6% of RTRs and was diagnosed exclusively in the overweight group. There were no significant correlations between BMI and NODAT or AH incidences.

BMI increases significantly after RT and is associated with higher risk of NODAT, but most RTRs are not aware of their BMI. Therefore, educational programs for this patient population should be created.