Effect of Smoking on Development of New Onset Diabetes Mellitus after Transplantation (NODAT) of Kidney

Purpose: Cigarette smoking has adverse effects on kidney transplant recipients, causing cardiovascular disease, kidney function impairment, and cancer. New onset diabetes mellitus after transplantation (NODAT) represents serious complication of transplantation of solid organs.

Methods: In the group of 252 patients after kidney transplantation, we identified smokers and current non-smokers (the patient who has not been smoking or who is ex smoker) for the period of minimum 24 months. In the monitored period of 12 months after transplantation, we detected presence of NODAT in both groups. The group contained only those patients who did not have diabetes mellitus (of type 1 and 2) at the time of kidney transplantation.

Results: The group of smokers was composed of 88 patients (34.9 %) and non-smokers 164 patients (65.1 %). The average age of smokers was 52 years ± 12.4, and of current non-smokers it was 44.8 years ± 12.8 (P < 0.0001). The smokers had significantly lower body mass index (BMI) at the time of kidney transplantation (P = 0.0059) and also 12 months after transplantation (P = 0.0069), lower weight gain 12 months after transplantation (P = 0.0220) and larger waist circumference 12 months after transplantation (P < 0.0001).

Conclusion: In our group, smoking had no effect on development of NODAT, the smokers had lower values of BMI and waist circumference, however, the guideline development group feels that, as for the general population, success of smoking cessation can be enhanced by offering structured smoking cessation programs.