New-onset diabetes after liver transplantation: a national report from China Liver Transplant Registry.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: New-onset diabetes after transplantation (NODAT) is a serious complication of liver transplantation (LT). The present study aimed to investigate the risk factors of NODAT by a national survey using the China Liver Transplant Registry database.

PATIENTS: A total of 10 204 non-pre-existing diabetic patients undergone primary LT between January 2000 and December 2013 were included. Risk factors were identified by logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS: NODAT occurred in 24.3% of liver recipients with a median follow-up time of 2.6 years, and was associated with a significantly lower patient survival. NODAT increased not only diabetes related complications (e.g., infection, kidney failure) but also biliary stricture and cholangitis. NODAT patients who received hypoglycaemic treatment had a worse prognosis and a higher hepatocellular carcinoma recurrence compared with those without treatment. New-onset hyperglycaemia (<30 days) was the major predictor of NODAT. Other risk factors included cold ischaemia time >9 h, recipient age >50 years, body mass index >25 kg/m(2) , other hepatitis (mainly hepatitis C), post-transplant intensive care unit stay >15 days, cytomegalovirus infection and corticosteroid at discharge.

CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of NODAT in China is similar to that in Western countries. However, the NODAT-related complications are more common and severer in China compared with those in Western countries. The major risk factors are different.