Post-Renal Transplantation Weight Gain: Its Causes and Its Consequences

Objective. A tendency to increased body mass index (BMI) occurs after renal transplantation. The objective of this study was to analyze the causes and consequences of this weight gain.Methods. Two hundred twelve renal transplant recipients were divided into 3 groups according to the evolution of their BMI: BMI loss (group 1); BMI increase < 10% (group 2); and BMI increase > 10% (group 3).Results. The mean BMI gain was 6.2%, weight gain was 3.9 kg, and BMI gain was 1.4 kg/m(2). The patients in group 3 were younger, but there were no other significant differences in gender, preoperative diabetes, acute rejection, or prior BMI. Blood pressure was similar in all 3 groups, but more group 3 patients needed antihypertensive treatment. A progressive increase in total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol was also observed as patients showed increased BMI. No differences were observed regarding carbohydrate metabolism. Groups 1 and 3 showed a more unfavorable micro-inflammatory profile. The creatinine clearance level was better in group 3 compared with group 1. We found no differences regarding the number of nonfatal postoperative cardiovascular events.