Complicaciones asociadas a la hiperglucemia en pacientes trasplantados de riñón

Introduction

Hyperglycemia has been considered as a negative factor in hospitalized patients, both diabetic and non-diabetic, and has been related to the presence of diverse adverse outcomes. In kidney transplant patients, surgical stress, immunosuppressive drugs and prolonged hospital stays may be factors that promote hyperglycemia. However, has not been studied whether hyperglycemia during transplantation is associated with increased risk of rejection.

Population and methods

A retrospective cohort study in patients older than 15 years who received a kidney transplant and that included measurements of glucose in the first 48 hours after transplantation. We evaluated the presence of hyperglycemia defined in three different ways (as a single value, as averaged value and as time-weighted value) in patients undergoing renal transplantation and its relationship to the risk of acute rejection and length of hospital stay.

Results

While a large number of patients (91%) had some form of hyperglycemia during the first 48 hours after transplantation regardless of how it was defined, there was no an increased risk of rejection (OR = 0.35; 95% CI = 0.11-1.08) or a difference in length of stay (13.2 vs. 8.9 days, P = .958).

Conclusions

It is common to find some form of hyperglycemia during the first 48 hours after kidney transplantation, but its presence does not entail increased risk of transplant rejection or longer hospital stay when compared with patients who did not present it.