Diabetes Mellitus Increases the Risk of Mortality Following Liver Transplantation Independent of MELD Score DIGESTIVE DISEASES AND SCIENCES Samuelson, A. L., Lee, M., Kamal, A., Keeffe, E. B., Ahmed, A. 2010; 55 (7): 2089-2094

Abstract

Patients with diabetes mellitus overall experience worse health outcomes than non-diabetics, but whether this is true among recipients of liver transplantation still remains unclear. The aim of this study was to compare the mortality of diabetic and non-diabetic patients following liver transplantation.We conducted a retrospective analysis of 530 adult patients undergoing liver transplantation at Stanford University Medical Center from February 1995 to July 2006. Information on diabetes mellitus was available for 431 patients; 96 patients who had acute liver failure (n = 17), combined liver and kidney transplantation (n = 28), or died prior to discharge (n = 51) were excluded from analysis.Over a mean follow-up of 4.5 years, survival was 81% in the diabetic group and 94% among controls (p = <0.0001). After controlling for age (mean +/- SD: 54.4 +/- 7.6 in diabetics, 50.1 +/- 9.6 in controls), body mass index (28.6 +/- 6.6 in diabetics, 27.1 +/- 5.4 in controls), presence of hepatitis C, and MELD score (17 +/- 9.6 in diabetics, 19 +/- 10.2 in controls), diabetes mellitus remained a significant predictor of death (HR 3.11, p = 0.01).Diabetes mellitus is an independent risk factor for mortality following liver transplantation. Further investigation of this relationship should focus on the impact of more intensive pre- and post-liver transplantation glucose control, cardiovascular risk factor reduction, and the effects of accelerated atherosclerosis in the setting of immune suppression.

View details for DOI 10.1007/s10620-010-1267-5

View details for Web of Science ID 000278900200039

View details for PubMedID 20467898