Early correction of post-kidney transplant hyperglycaemia is associated with reduction of the prevalence of post-transplant diabetes mellitus

Our study was focused on identification and correction of early hyperglycaemia, with the aim to reduce the risk of developing post-transplant diabetes mellitus (PTDM) and its associated complications. In a single centre, the prospective study included adult kidney transplant recipients without diabetes mellitus whose pre-transplant glucometabolic data did not show signs of diabetes mellitus. Starting from the first day after kidney transplantation, patients were closely monitored for hyperglycaemia; glucose level measurements were started to obtain pre-prandial levels. If the blood glucose level exceeded 11.1 mmol/l, hyperglycaemia was corrected with short-acting insulin. A total of 14 patients completed a three-month follow-up. During the first post-transplant week, the blood glucose level exceeded 11.1 mmol/l in nine patients (63.9%). From those patients five (55.5%) did not develop PTDM. None of the patients who did not need insulin treatment developed PTDM. Higher pre-lunch glucose levels increased the risk of developing PTDM (p = 0.006). Patients with diabetes required a two times higher insulin dosage than other patients during the first post-transplantation week. We found that hyperglycaemia is a common problem in the early post-transplant period. Early recognition and correction of inpatient hyperglycaemia was associated with reduction of the prevalence of PTDM in more than a half of the patients in the studied group at three months post transplant.