OBJECTIVE

The development of metabolic abnormalities after liver transplantation (LTx) contributes to cardiovascular events and mortality. We analyzed the prevalence and risk factors of obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia and diabetes mellitus (DM) after adult living donor liver transplantation.

METHODS

Fifty-four adult recipients with a minimum follow up of 6 months receiving living donor liver transplantation between 2001 and 2012 at the Tohoku University Hospital were retrospectively analyzed.

RESULTS

The prevalence of hypertension increased from 18.5% before transplantation to 35.2% post-transplantation, and new-onset hypertension after transplantation was 57.9% of post-transplant hypertension. Univariate analysis showed that risk factors of post-transplant hypertension were age (>50 years, P = 0.0023), pretransplant body mass index (BMI) of 25 or more (P = 0.0123), pretransplant hypertension (P = 0.0012) and cyclosporin A (61.5% vs tacrolimus 25.0%, P = 0.0248). The incidence of obesity, dyslipidemia and DM did not change from before to after transplantation. LTx was curative in 77.8% of cases of pretransplant dyslipidemia and 20% of cases of pretransplant DM. Primary biliary cirrhosis cases comprised 85.7% of cases of pretransplant dyslipidemia that were cured by LTx. In univariate analysis, pretransplant BMI of 25 or more was the only risk factor of post-transplant dyslipidemia (P = 0.0098). The incidence of new-onset DM after transplantation was 20%. Risk factors of post-transplant DM were male sex (P = 0.0156), pretransplant DM (P < 0.0001), alcohol abuse (P = 0.0248) and mycophenolate mofetil (P = 0.0181) by univariate analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

The prevalence of hypertension increased after LTx and pretransplant obesity was associated with several post-transplant metabolic abnormalities.