Posttransplant diabetes mellitus in kidney allograft recipients at Shaheed Hasheminejad Hospital

Our aim was to evaluate the frequency and risk factors of posttransplant diabetes mellitus (PTDM) at our kidney transplant center, and to compare graft and patient outcomes between the kidney recipients with and without PTDM. We studied 203 kidney transplant recipients with a negative history of diabetes mellitus before transplantation. We examined them for PTDM and made diagnosis on the basis of the American Diabetes Association criteria. Measurements of plasma glucose were carried out from 3 months to 24 months after transplantation. All data including recipient and donor demographics, cause of end-stage renal disease, cytomegalovirus and hepatitis C virus antibody tests, and patient and graft outcomes were assessed in relation to PTDM. High fasting plasma glucose was seen in 24 (11.8%), 19 (9.4%), 16 (7.9%), and 13 (6.4%) patients at 3, 6, 12, and 24 posttransplant months, respectively. Moreover, impaired glucose tolerance was seen in 17 (8.4%), 16 (7.9%), 17 (8.4%), and 19 (9.4%) patients at the corresponding times, respectively. Accordingly, 39 patients (19.2%) were diagnosed to have PTDM. The mean age of the kidney recipients with PTDM was 46.5 +/- 12.3 years as compared to 38.6 +/- 13.4 years in nondiabetic kidney recipients (P = .02). The 5-year patient and graft survival rates were not significantly different between the kidney recipients with and without PTDM. This study showed that PTDM is a common metabolic disorder in our kidney transplant patients. We recommend a less diabetogenic immunosuppressive protocol, especially for our older recipients.