Cardiometabolic and Kidney Protection in Kidney Transplant Recipients With Diabetes: Mechanisms, Clinical Applications, and Summary of Clinical Trials

Impact of Donor Warm Ischemia Time on Graft Survival for Donation After Circulatory Death Kidney Transplantation

BACKGROUND

The utilization of kidneys donated after circulatory death (DCD) is an important strategy to address the ongoing shortage of organs suitable for transplantation in the United States. However, the nonuse rate of DCD kidneys remains high compared with kidneys donated after brain death (DBD) because of concerns regarding the injury incurred during donor warm ischemia time (DWIT). Therefore, we investigated the impact of DWIT on the risk of death-censored graft failure after DCD kidney transplantation (KT).

METHODS

Retrospective analysis was conducted on DCD KTs using the Standard Transplant Analysis and Research data set. The association of DWIT with death-censored graft failure was evaluated using multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression, with reference to DCD KTs with Kidney Donor Risk Index (KDRI) of ≤0.78 and the median DWIT of 26 min.

RESULTS

A total of 28 032 DCD kidney-alone transplants between January 2010 and December 2021 were studied. When stratified by KDRI, increasing DWIT was associated with a clinically significant increased risk for death-censored graft failure only in the subset of kidneys with KDRI >1.14 but not in those with KDRI >0.78-≤0.94 and >0.94-≤1.14, compared with the reference group.

CONCLUSIONS

We suggest that clinicians should not decline kidneys on the basis of DWIT in favor of potential offers of DBD or other DCD kidneys with shorter DWIT, provided that their KDRI scores are within an acceptable limit. Our study highlights opportunities for more efficient usage of DCD kidneys and improving the shortage of transplantable organs.

Diabetes Mellitus in Kidney Transplant Recipients: New Horizons in Treatment

Diabetes mellitus (DM) in kidney transplant recipients (KTR) is a risk factor for mortality, increases the risk of infections and, in the long term, can lead to graft loss due to diabetic kidney disease. A preventive approach applied to those on the waiting list could decrease the incidence of post-transplant DM (PTDM) by detecting those patients at risk, thus allowing strategies to minimize the probability of developing a New Onset Diabetes After Transplant (NODAT). On the other hand, modifications of immunosuppressive therapy may improve glucose control in patients with KTR. In recent years, two new classes of antidiabetic drugs and non-steroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists have demonstrated cardiovascular and renal benefits in randomized clinical trials where the transplant population has not been represented. Because of the potential benefit expected in this population, the clinical use of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RA), sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) and finerenone is increasing in the kidney transplant setting. This review focuses on comprehensive pharmacological interventions in KTR with glucose metabolism disorders. In-depth knowledge in this area will allow prevention and identification of potential adverse effects or drug interactions in the clinical course of KTR with DM.

Taming the transplant troll: Exploring racial and ethnic disparities in cytomegalovirus infection among kidney transplant patients

BACKGROUND

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection poses a significant risk to kidney transplant recipients. This study investigated CMV disease incidence, outcomes, and management challenges in racial and ethnic minority populations following kidney transplantation.

METHODS

This single-center, mixed-methods study included a retrospective cohort analysis of kidney transplant recipients (n = 58) and qualitative surveys of healthcare providers. Patients were categorized as minorities (n = 49) or non-Hispanic whites (n = 9). The primary outcome was CMV disease incidence. Secondary outcomes included graft failure, mortality, and identification of management barriers.

RESULTS

The cumulative incidence of CMV disease was higher in minorities than in non-Hispanic whites (12.3% vs. 0%, p = 0.58), although the difference was not statistically significant. All graft failures (8.6%, n = 5) occurred in the minority group. Although not statistically significant, all-cause mortality was higher in the minority group (24.5% vs. 11.1%, p = 0.54), with 46.2% of the deaths occurring within 90 days of CMV diagnosis. Qualitative analysis revealed challenges in diagnosis, treatment-related side effects, medication costs, and insurance barriers. The providers emphasized the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration and standardized protocols.

CONCLUSION

While limited by the small sample size, this study highlights potential disparities in the incidence and outcomes of CMV disease among minority kidney transplant recipients, suggesting that barriers in care and access may contribute to these differences. These hypothesis-generating findings underscore the need for larger multicenter studies to validate these patterns and to inform targeted strategies that may reduce inequities in post-transplant outcomes.

International consensus on post-transplantation diabetes mellitus

Post-transplantation diabetes mellitus (PTDM) remains a leading complication after solid organ transplantation. Previous international PTDM consensus meetings in 2003 and 2013 provided standardized frameworks to reduce heterogeneity in diagnosis, risk stratification and management. However, the last decade has seen significant advancements in our PTDM knowledge complemented by rapidly changing treatment algorithms for management of diabetes in the general population. In view of these developments, and to ensure reduced variation in clinical practice, a 3rd international PTDM Consensus Meeting was planned and held from 6-8 May 2022 in Vienna, Austria involving global delegates with PTDM expertise to update the previous reports. This update includes opinion statements concerning optimal diagnostic tools, recognition of prediabetes (impaired fasting glucose and/or impaired glucose tolerance), new mechanistic insights, immunosuppression modification, evidence-based strategies to prevent PTDM, treatment hierarchy for incorporating novel glucose-lowering agents and suggestions for the future direction of PTDM research to address unmet needs. Due to the paucity of good quality evidence, consensus meeting participants agreed that making GRADE (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluations) recommendations would be flawed. Although kidney-allograft centric, we suggest that these opinion statements can be appraised by the transplantation community for implementation across different solid organ transplant cohorts. Acknowledging the paucity of published literature, this report reflects consensus expert opinion. Attaining evidence is desirable to ensure establishment of optimized care for any solid organ transplant recipient at risk of, or who develops, PTDM as we strive to improve long-term outcomes.

Novel Drugs for the Management of Diabetes Kidney Transplant Patients: A Literature Review

The management of diabetes and renal failure is changing thanks to the appearance of new drugs such as glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP1-RA) and sodium-glucose cotransporter type 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) that have benefits in terms of survival and cardiorenal protection. Based on the potential mechanisms of GLP1-RA, kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) could benefit from their effects. However, high-quality studies are needed to demonstrate these benefits, in the transplant population, especially those related to cardiovascular benefits and renal protection. Studies with SGLT2i performed in KTRs are much less potent than in the general population and therefore no benefits in terms of patient or graft survival have been clearly demonstrated in this population to date. Additionally, the most frequently observed side effects could be potentially harmful to this population profile, including severe or recurrent urinary tract infections and impaired kidney function. However, benefits demonstrated in KTRs are in line with a known potential effects in cardiovascular and renal protection, which may be essential for the outcome of transplant recipients. Better studies are still needed to confirm the benefits of these new oral antidiabetics in the renal transplant population. Understanding the characteristics of these drugs may be critical for KTRs to be able to benefit from their effects without being damaged. This review discusses the results of the most important published studies on KTRs with GLP1-RA and SGLT2i as well as the potential beneficial effects of these drugs. Based on these results, approximate suggestions for the management of diabetes in KTRs were developed.

SGLT2 Inhibitors: The Sweet Success for Kidneys

Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2 inhibitors) were originally developed as antidiabetic agents, with cardiovascular (CV) outcome trials demonstrating improved CV outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D). Secondary analyses of CV outcome trials and later dedicated kidney outcome trials consistently reported improved kidney-related outcomes independent of T2D status and across a range of kidney function and albuminuria. Importantly, SGLT2 inhibitors are generally safe and well tolerated, with clinical trials and real-world analyses demonstrating a decrease in the risk of acute kidney injury. The kidney protective effects of SGLT2 inhibitors generally extend across different members of the class, possibly on the basis of hemodynamic, metabolic, anti-inflammatory, and antifibrotic mechanisms. In this review, we summarize the effects of SGLT2 inhibitors on kidney outcomes in diverse patient populations.

BK Virus and Cytomegalovirus Coinfections in Kidney Transplantation and Their Impact on Allograft Loss

We aimed to ascertain the interaction and effects of combined reactivations of BK virus and cytomegalovirus on kidney graft function. All consecutive kidney transplant recipients (KTR) between 2003 and 2016 were included. Of 1976 patients who received a kidney transplant, 23 (1.2%) presented BKV-associated nephropathy (BKVAN). Factors independently associated with BKVAN were diabetes mellitus (odds ratios (OR) 3.895%, confidence intervals (CI) (1.4-10.5)), acute allograft rejection (OR 2.8 95%, CI (1.1-7.6)) and nephrostomy requirement (OR 4.195%, CI (1.3-13)). Cytomegalovirus infection was diagnosed in 19% of KTR patients. Recipients with BKVAN presented more frequently with cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection compared to patients without BKVAN (39% vs. 19%, p = 0.02). Acute allograft rejection (OR 2.95%, CI (1.4-2.4)) and nephrostomy requirement (OR 2.95%, CI (1.2-3)) were independently associated with CMV infection. Sixteen patients (69%) with BKVAN had graft dysfunction at one-year post-transplant and eight of them (35%) lost their graft. Patients presenting with BKVAN and graft loss presented more frequently a cytomegalovirus infection (OR 2.295%, CI (1.3-4.3)). In conclusion, we found a relation between CMV infection and graft loss in patients presenting BKVAN, suggesting that patients with CMV reactivation should be actively screened for BKV.