Risk factors and incidence of posttransplant diabetes mellitus in renal transplant recipients

OBJECTIVE:
This study reviewed the incidence of post-transplantation diabetes mellitus (PTDM) and risk factors for its development among renal transplant recipients in Malaysia.

METHODS:
Records of all kidney recipients with no known diabetes mellitus prior to transplantation and followed for at least 6 months posttransplant were selected for this retrospective study. PTDM was diagnosed according to American Diabetic Association/WHO criteria or the need to start insulin or an oral hypoglycemic agent. The data set included recipient age, gender, race, weight, donor type, duration of transplant, HCV antibody status, and immunosuppressive medication.

RESULTS:
Of the 316 patients who fulfilled the selection criteria, 13.3% had PTDM. Gender, race, type of donor, HCV serologic status, and use of tacrolimus did not differ significantly between recipients with versus without PTDM. However, recipients who developed PTDM were significantly older (median age 50.5 versus 42.0 years, P < 0.0001), had significantly longer posttransplant follow-up (median duration 125.5 versus 85.0 months, P = .0030) and weighed more at transplantation/first follow-up (median weight 57.6 versus 52.3 kg, P = .0103).

CONCLUSION:
The overall cumulative incidence of PTDM in this study was similar to the published reports. Older age, longer posttransplant duration, and heavier weight were the only variables significantly associated with PTDM.