Association of hepatitis C with posttransplant diabetes in renal transplant patients on tacrolimus

Posttransplant diabetes mellitus (PTDM) remains a common complication of immunosuppression. Although multiple risk factors have been implicated, none have been clearly identified as predisposing to the increased PTDM frequency observed in patients on tacrolimus. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) has been associated with diabetes and is a significant renal transplant comorbidity. In this study, records of 427 kidney recipients who had no known diabetes before transplantation were retrospectively examined. A multivariate logistic regression model was fit with covariates that had unadjusted relationships with PTDM to examine the independent relationship of HCV and the odds of development of PTDM by 12 mo posttransplant. A potential interaction between HCV and the use of tacrolimus as maintenance therapy on the odds of the development of PTDM was examined. Overall. PTDM occurred more frequently in HCV+ than HCV- patients (39.4% versus 9.8% P = 0.0005). By multivariate logistic regression, HCV (adjusted odds ratio [OR]. 5.58, 95% confidence interval [CI]. 2.63 to 11.83, P = 0.0001). weight at transplantation (adjusted OR 1.028 95% Cl. 1.00 to 1.05; P = 0.001), and tacrolimus (adjusted OR. 2.85, 95%,, CI. 1.01 to 5.28: P = 0.047) were associated with PTDM. A significant interaction (P = 0.0001) was detected between HCV status and tacrolimus use for the odds of PTDM. Among the HCV+ cohort, PTDM occurred more often in tacrolimus-treated than cyclosporine A-treated patients (57.8% versus 7.7%: P < 0.0001). PTDM rates in HCV- patients were similar between the two calcineurin inhibitors (10.0% versus 9.4%,: P = 0.521. tacrolimus versus cyclosporine A), In conclusion, HCV is strongly associated with PTDM in renal transplant recipients and appears to account for the increased diabetogenicity observed with tacrolimus.