Metabolic Syndrome in Kidney Transplantation: Management of Risk Factors

The metabolic syndrome is a constellation of clinical abnormalities related to insulin resistance and inflammation. The syndrome is now recognized as a risk factor for diabetes and cardiovascular disease in the general population. Recent studies suggest that the metabolic syndrome is common after kidney transplantation, also possibly being predictive of allograft loss and poor allograft function. The development or worsening of obesity plays a central role in the development of metabolic syndrome after kidney transplantation. Immunosuppression also plays an important role in the pathogenesis of the individual components of the metabolic syndrome. In fact, the overriding influence of immunosuppressive medications makes it unclear whether the metabolic syndrome has the same value in predicting outcomes as is true in the general population. However, recent studies suggest that the presence of metabolic syndrome before transplantation predicts the subsequent development of new-onset diabetes after transplantation, independent of other widely known risk factors. Aggressive management of the metabolic syndrome is warranted both before and after transplantation. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol 6: 1781-1785, 2011. doi: 10.2215/CJN.01200211