Cardiovascular morbidity and obesity in adult liver transplant recipients

• Published in: Transplantation proceedings Vol. 35; no. 5; pp. 1909 - 1910
• Main Authors: Mazuelos, F, Abril, J, Zaragoza, C, Rubio, E, Moreno, J.M, Turrión, V.S, Cuervas-Mons, V
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier Inc 01-08-2003; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Adult; Biological and medical sciences; Body Mass Index; Cardiovascular Diseases - epidemiology; Cohort Studies; Female; Humans; Liver Transplantation - physiology; Liver, biliary tract, pancreas, portal circulation, spleen; Male; Medical sciences; Metabolic diseases; Middle Aged; Morbidity; Obesity; Obesity - epidemiology; Postoperative Complications - epidemiology; Retrospective Studies; Surgery (general aspects). Transplantations, organ and tissue grafts. Graft diseases; Surgery of the digestive system; Human; Obesity; Digestive system; Liver; Nutrition disorder; Transplantation; Homotransplantation; Epidemiology; Morbidity; Treatment; Surgery; Risk factor; Graft; Adult; Circulatory system; Nutritional status; Public health
• ISSN: 0041-1345; 1873-2623
• DOI: 10.1016/S0041-1345(03)00640-7

There is a direct relationship between the grade of obesity and mortality based on the increased cardiovascular diseases, cancer, etc. However, the results of studies in renal and liver allograft recipients relating obesity to morbidity and mortality are contradictory. A retrospective cohort study of 170 patients transplanted between March 1987 and July 1997 showed obesity to be identified in 77 (45.3%) patients. During the mean follow-up of 5 years posttransplantation, 16 (9.4%) patients experienced cardiovascular complications, including 10 patients with ischemic cardiac syndromes (five acute infarctions and five angina), five patients with acute cerebrovascular accidents, and one patient with intermittent lower limbs claudication. The prevalence of obesity at 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 years after transplantation was 58.2%, 56.9%, 60.3%, 59.5%, and 66.4%, respectively. Compared with the baseline value, the BMI was increased at 1 year posttransplantation (25.78), a significant difference. No significant differences were found between the mean BMI values of patients with and without cardiovascular diseases, or overweight and morbidly obese patients compared to the normal weight population. Among liver transplant recipients, obesity was a frequent complication after transplantation, but it was not clearly associated with increased morbidity and mortality secondary to cardiovascular disease.