Lipid Accumulation Product: An Obtainable and Accurate Marker for Predicting Metabolic Syndrome in Kidney Transplant Recipients

Abstract Background Metabolic syndrome (MS) is common in kidney transplant recipients(KTRs) and associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events. There is a need for accurate, non-invasive methods to predict MS in this population. Lipid accumulation product (LAP) is an effective marker of central lipid accumulation related to high risk of MS, cardiovascular disease(CVD) and diabetes. This study aims to assess the ability of LAP as a marker of MS in KTRs. Methods A total of 92 KTRs were included in this study. The general anthropometries and blood biochemical indexes were measured. Body mass index(BMI), waist-hip ratio (WHR), LAP, HOMA-IR and Framingham risk scores(FRS) were calculated. Results The prevalence of MS was 57.8 % in KTRs. Respectively, 64.1%, 16.3%, and 19.6% of patients with KTRs were at low, intermediate, and high risk of CVD according to FRS categorization. KTRs with MS had significantly higher LAP levels compared to those without MS. LAP was highly correlated with lipid metabolism, abdominal obesity, glucose metabolism and inflammatory factor in KTRs. Our analyses revealed that LAP is an independent risk factor for development of MS. Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis showed that LAP was a significant discriminator for prediction of MS in KTRs. The optimal cutoff value for LAP in predicting MS was 39.72 (80.8 % sensitivity, 90 % specificity). Conclusion Our study revealed all adiposity measures of interest present themselves as easy and practical tools for evaluating MS in KTRs and LAP is the best index for the determination of MS in KTRs among them.