Body mass index: short- and long-term impact on kidney transplantation.
OBJECTIVE
The topic of pretransplantation body mass index (BMI) is still a matter of controversy. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of pretransplant BMI on short- and long-term outcomes in patients receiving kidney transplant.


METHODS
We have analysed 521 renal transplant recipients (RTRs). BMI was categorised as follows: less than or equal to 20, more than 20 to less than or equal to 25, more than 25 to less than or equal to 30 and more than 30 RESULTS: The distribution of the RTRs per category of BMI at baseline was: ≤ 20 (14.4%), > 20 to ≤ 25 (50.9%), > 25 ≤ 30 (26.9%) and > 30 (7.9%). In further analysis, the patients were stratified into four groups according to their pretransplant BMI values. There was no difference in the rates of delayed graft function between the four analysed groups of patients. Recipients with normal pre-transplant BMI were less likely to develop wound complications in comparison to the recipients with high BMI (p = 0.04) and obese recipients (p = 0.0001). RTRs with normal BMI were less likely to develop lymphoceles in comparison to the recipients with high BMI (p = 0.0003). Obese patients were more likely to develop lymphocele in comparison to the recipients with high BMI (p = 0.01). Obese recipients had a longer mean length of hospital stay in comparison to the recipients with normal BMI (p = 0.04). There was no significant difference regarding 1-year graft and patient survival, as well as because of acute rejection crisis between the investigated groups of recipients. We did not find any significant difference in 5-year patients and graft survival between those RTRs with BMI > 20 to ≤ 25 and to those recipients with BMI > 25.


CONCLUSIONS
Overweight and obese transplant candidates should not be excluded from kidney transplantation.
Department of Nephrology, Dialysis and Kidney Transplantation, UHC, Rijeka, Croatia.|School of Medicine, Rijeka, Croatia.
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Orlic
Department of Nephrology, Dialysis and Kidney Transplantation, UHC, Rijeka, Croatia.|School of Medicine, Rijeka, Croatia.|Department of Gastroenterology, UHC, Rijeka, Croatia.
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Mikolasevic
School of Medicine, Rijeka, Croatia.
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Jakopcic
School of Medicine, Rijeka, Croatia.|Department of Urology, UHC, Rijeka, Croatia.
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Grskovic
Department of Nephrology, Dialysis and Kidney Transplantation, UHC, Rijeka, Croatia.
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Jelic Pranjic
Department of Nephrology, Dialysis and Kidney Transplantation, UHC, Rijeka, Croatia.|School of Medicine, Rijeka, Croatia.
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Racki
School of Medicine, Rijeka, Croatia.|Department of Gastroenterology, UHC, Rijeka, Croatia.
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Stimac
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015992:Body Mass Index; D051799:Delayed Graft Function / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006085:Graft Survival / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000601:surgery*; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications; D050177:Overweight / Q000150:complications; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult