Post-transplant diabetes mellitus in liver transplantation: Hangzhou experience.

BACKGROUND: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a frequent and serious complication in patients with liver diseases. We aimed to assess the prevalence and consequences of post-transplant DM (PTDM) in Chinese patients with HBV-related liver diseases and to determine the possible risk factors.
METHODS: Altogether 165 patients with HBV infection and undergoing cadaveric related liver transplantation (LT) were enrolled. The clinical data of patients with (PTDM group) and without PTDM (non-PTDM group) were compared.
RESULTS: Of the 165 patients, 28 had DM and 12 had impaired fasting glucose (IFG) before LT. Patients with pre-transplant DM or IFG had a survival rate similar to that of the others. Forty patients (24.2%) developed PTDM with a mean time of 36+/-17 days (range 2-300 days) after LT. Of those, 32 developed PTDM within 3 months post-LT and 29 needed insulin treatment. Pre-transplant hepatic encephalopathy and tacrolimus application were found more frequently in the PTDM group than in the non-PTDM group. The plasma tacrolimus levels were notably higher at 1 and 3 months post-LT in the PTDM group than those in the non-PTDM group. Compared to the non-PTDM group, the PTDM group showed remarkably poorer survival and tumor-free survival in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, and significantly higher incidence of sepsis, fungal infection, chronic kidney diseases and biliary complications after LT.
CONCLUSIONS: Pre-transplant DM did not affect the patient survival after LT. Since PTDM is common, it has a negative impact on outcome and may contribute to tumor recurrence. Pre-transplant hepatic encephalopathy, a tacrolimus-based regimen, and high levels of tacrolimus are clearly associated with the occurrence of PTDM.