Greater Posttransplant Inflammation and Oxidation Are Associated With Worsening Kidney Function in Patients With Pretransplant Diabetes Mellitus

Objective. Patients on dialysis display increased inflammation (IF) and oxidative stress (OS). Diabetes mellitus (DM) may increase both processes. The role of transplantation in this situation is unknown. Herein we have assessed the evolution of IF and OS following grafting and its relationship to a prior diagnoses of DM and to kidney function at 1 year. Patients and Methods. This prospective study included 131 dialysis patients who underwent transplantation of mean age 54 +/- 12 years, including 68% men with 19.5% showing prior DM. The following markers of IF and OS were determined prior to and at 3 months after grafting: C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha), soluble TNF alpha receptor (sTNF alpha-R), soluble IL-2 receptor (sIL-2R), oxidized LDL (oxLDL), and anti-oxLDL antibodies (oxLDLab). The evolution (ratio) of these markers was assessed by dividing the values at 3 months by the prior ones. Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) was determined at 12 months. Results. Patients with prior DM were older (P = .034). There were no differences in the pregrafting phase between diabetics and nondiabetics in relation to IF or OS. IF and OS showed a worse evolution postgrafting among patients with prior DM. At 1 year postgrafting renal function was greater in patients without prior DM (P = .022). There was an inverse correlation between the ratios of markers and kidney function at 1 year postgrafting: TNF alpha: r = -.235 (P = .012); sIL-2R: r = .441 (P < .001); and sTNF alpha-R: r = .225 (P = .017). Conclusions. In the pregrafting phase, there were no differences between patients with or without DM in terms of IF and OS. These differences appeared in the postgrafting phase: patients with DM showed greater IF and OS, an increase that may explain the poor kidney function observed at 1 year among patients with DM.