Published online Jul 15, 2018. doi: 10.4239/wjd.v9.i7.132
Peer-review started: March 23, 2018
First decision: May 8, 2018
Revised: May 24, 2018
Accepted: June 13, 2018
Article in press: June 13, 2018
Published online: July 15, 2018
Processing time: 114 Days and 14 Hours
New-onset diabetes after transplantation (NODAT) is a common complication of kidney transplantation, correlated with poorer outcomes. Its incidence varies greatly between studies, and multiple risk factors have been associated with its onset.
Albeit a frequent complication of kidney transplant, very few studies of NODAT in the Portuguese population have been published.
To evaluate the incidence and associated factors of NODAT among kidney transplant recipients in a Portuguese hospital.
Retrospective study of consecutive adult nondiabetic patients, who underwent kidney transplant between January 2012 and March 2016 in a central Portuguese hospital.
NODAT was identified in 27.2% of the kidney transplant recipients. The median time to diagnosis was 3.68 ± 5.7 mo after transplantation. Higher pretransplant fasting plasma glucose levels and occurrence of pretransplant impaired fasting glucose (IFG) were predictive risk factors for NODAT development.
Periodical blood glucose screening in patients waiting for a kidney transplant is important to identify those at risk for and to minimize progression to NODAT and its potentially severe complications.
Clinicians should be aware of NODAT risk factors, namely pretransplant IFG, to perform a tighter surveillance of patients in these conditions. Multicentric studies are required to investigate other risk factors possibly implicated in NODAT development.