Proteinuria in recipients of liver transplants

We investigated the incidence and significance of proteinuria in recipients of liver transplants. The overall incidence of proteinuria was 59.72%. The peak incidence of proteinuria was at 3 months and at the end of 1 yr posttransplant. Proteinuria was higher in those patients who developed posttransplant diabetes mellitus, and those who developed both posttransplant diabetes and posttransplant hyperlipidemia. Patients who received higher total dosage of steroids and CsA had significantly greater proteinuria. Patients who had a Cr Cl greater than 50 ml/min had greater proteinuria posttransplant for the first 6 months, but the trend was reversed later. We did not find any association of proteinuria with age, weight, rejection episodes, or with the etiology of liver failure. Hypertension was a common occurrence in our patients, and therefore its significance in the causation of proteinuria could not be defined.