Triglyceride-rich lipoprotein cholesterol is elevated in liver transplant recipients and associated with...

Post-transplant diabetes mellitus (PTDM) is the most frequent metabolic complication after liver transplantation. The role of triglyceride-rich lipoprotein cholesterol (TRL-c) in PTDM risk remains poorly defined. We characterized TRL-c in liver transplant recipients (LTRs) from the TransplantLines cohort (NCT03272841) compared to the general population (PREVEND cohort; NCT03073018) and evaluated its association with incident PTDM. We compared 367 adult LTRs and 4,837 PREVEND participants with TRL-c measurements derived from total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c), all measured by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Incident PTDM was assessed using Cox models and adjusted for clinically relevant covariates. Compared with PREVEND participants, LTRs had higher triglycerides, TRL-c, and HDL-c but lower total and LDL-c, irrespective of baseline diabetes status. Among LTRs, TRL-c was highest in those with pre-existing diabetes and lowest in those who remained non-diabetic. During a median follow-up of 7.1 years (IQR 6.2-7.8), 31 (12.6%) LTRs developed PTDM. Incidence was highest in the top TRL-c tertile (p = 0.016). Each 1-SD increase in TRL-c was associated with a 64% higher PTDM risk, independent of other risk factors. TRL-c may help risk stratification after transplant, given it likely captures a dyslipidemic phenotype not represented by conventional lipid measurements.