Effect Analysis of 1-Year Posttransplant Body Mass Index on Chronic Allograft Nephropathy in Renal Recipients

Objective. We sought to evaluate the effects of body mass index (BMI) at 1 year after transplantation on chronic allograft nephropathy (CAN). Methods. We grouped 564 kidney transplanted patients between June 1997 and March 2005 according to BMI at 1 year after transplantation: group I showed a BMI more than 18.5 and less than or equal to 25 (normal weight); group II, BMI greater than 25 and less than or equal to 30 (overweight); and group III, BMI greater than 30 (obese). We retrospectively studied all patients. All donors were living donors, none of whom were prisoners. Results. One-year posttransplant BMI was greater than preoperative values in groups II and III (P < .05 and P < .01 respectively). The CAN incidences among the three groups were 34.9% (128/367), 38.4% (48/125), and 43.1% (31/72), respectively (group I vs III; P < .05). With the increase in 1-year posttransplant BMI the rates of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and hyperlipidemia increased, but there was no difference in acute rejection episodes among the three groups. Multivariate analysis revealed BMI at the first postoperative year to show a significant influence on CAN. Conclusions. One-year BMI after kidney transplantation has a strong association with CAN. Thus diet control, exercise, and decreased immunosuppressive agent exposure may control BMI and decrease the incidence of CAN.