Improving long-term outcomes after liver transplantation.

Long-term survival following liver transplantation is profoundly affected by conditions unrelated to graft function. Many causes of mortality are contributed to by the metabolic syndrome. The approach to metabolic syndrome in liver transplant recipients requires consideration of transplant-specific factors, particularly immunosuppression. Enhancing long-term outcomes for liver transplant recipients necessitates minimizing the amount of immunosuppression required to prevent rejection. Studies to determine the optimal approach to minimize the impact of metabolic syndrome and complications of immunosuppression in transplant recipients are needed.