Metabolic syndrome risk in some transplants

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

A study shows that patients with metabolic syndrome may not have a good outcome after simultaneous kidney pancreas transplant.
Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of symptoms including abdominal obesity, hypertension and high cholesterol, which increases the risk of diabetes and heart problems. A team at Wake Forest University now identifies metabolic syndrome as a factor affecting the outcome of kidney and pancrease combined transplant.

Previous research has shown that metabolic syndrome is a risk factor for deterioration of kidney function after a kidney transplant. There is an increasing trend towards transplanting kidney with pancreas to treat type 1 and type 2 diabetes and kidney failure. This study, the first to look at the influence of metabolic syndrome on the outcome of the combined transplant, followed 298 patients for three years.

The researchers found that prevalence of metabolic syndrome decreased from 59 per cent prior to the operation to 19 per cent a year after transplant. This is good and happens because the transplant eliminates diabetes. But those who still had metabolic syndrome ran a ten times higher risk of reduced kidney function than those who did not. Those with metabolic syndrome whose pancreas transplant failed had the highest risk of developing long-term kidney dysfunction.

Source
American Society of Transplant Surgeons meeting 20th January 2006

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