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Can Obesity Impact Kidney Transplant Outcomes?

Can Obesity Impact Kidney Transplant Outcomes?

by Iswarya on Oct 27 2018 12:51 PM
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Highlights:
  • Kidney transplant recipients should not be omitted from renal transplantation solely on the basis of their body weight
  • No notable differences are observed in kidney transplant patients survival across different BMI groups
New study finds the impact of obesity on kidney transplant recipients health outcomes. The findings of the study are presented at ASN Kidney Week 2018.//
The prevalence of obesity is increasing in prospective kidney transplant recipients.

To examine the potential effect on long-term health outcomes, Bhavna Chopra, MD (Allegheny General Hospital) and her colleagues analyzed information from the United Network for Organ Sharing database from 2006 to 2016 concerning recipients at different levels of body mass index (BMI).

To minimize the impact of donor variables on transplant outcomes, the team used a paired kidney model in which kidneys from the same deceased donor were transplanted into recipients in different BMI categories.

Concerning delayed organ function, patients with ideal BMI (18-25) had the lowest risk, and the risk rose with increasing BMI categories; yet there was no difference in patient survival across different BMI groups.

"Our data support a more favorable consideration of obese patients for kidney transplantation and suggest that the use of a BMI cut off between 30 and 40 for waitlisting, while common, is arbitrary and unfounded," said Dr. Chopra.

"The resulting increase in access to transplantation for many obese patients will have a significant impact on quality of life and longevity for these patients compared to staying on long-term dialysis." 

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Source-Eurekalert


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