Characterization of Body Composition and Fat Mass Distribution 1 Year After Kidney Transplantation.
Catherine Pantik, Young-Eun Cho, Donna Hathaway and 2 others
PMID 27903767WHAT IT FOUND
One year after kidney transplant, many recipients gained weight and body fat, especially women and African American recipients.
BMI missed more obesity than body-fat percentage measured by scan.
Key findings
01At 12 months, 34 of 52 participants gained weight, and the mean body-weight increase was 3.7 kg; 19 participants gained at least 10% of baseline weight.
02DXA body-fat percentage classified 38 participants as obese at baseline and 39 at 12 months, while BMI classified 17 at baseline and 21 at 12 months.
03The subgroup of 15 African American women was the only subgroup with significant increases in body weight and BMI at 12 months.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The analysis included 52 participants at one center, and the authors stated the small number and lack of statistical power. It was a secondary analysis of an existing prospective study, not a trial of a treatment or education program. All recipients followed the same immunosuppression protocol and steroid taper, so the study could not separate steroid dose effects from other causes of weight gain. DXA body-fat measures can be affected by fluid shifts after transplant, although scans were done close to discharge, usually 4 to 5 days posttransplant. Diet and physical activity were self-reported by telephone recall, and the study did not test whether changing diet or activity would alter body composition. Subgroup findings were based on small groups, including 15 African American women, so they should not be treated as definitive.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest. The supplied publication types list NIH research support.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that DXA should replace BMI in routine transplant follow-up. The study compared classification methods in 52 recipients and says there is no universal standard for using body-fat measures to categorize obesity.