ABSTRACT
Background: After receiving a kidney allograft, patients tend to gain weight acquiring the risk associated with overweight and obesity. Aim: To compare the evolution during 10 years after transplantation of patients who gained more than 15% of their initial weight during the first year after receiving the graft with those who did not experience this increase. Material and Methods: Cohort study of 182 patients transplanted in a single hospital between 1981 and 2003. Demographic data, weight gain during the first year, drugs used, complications and evolution of patients and grafts were recorded. Results: Seventy two patients gained more than 15% of their weight during the first year. These were discharged after receiving the graft with a lower serum creatinine than their counterparts (1.46 ± 0.71 and 1.97 ± 1.74 mg/dl respectively, p = 0.02). Ten years mortality with a functioning kidney was higher among weight gainers (25 and 12.7% respectively, p = 0.03). No other differences were observed between groups. Conclusions: Patients who gained more than 15% of their initial weight during the first year after receiving a kidney graft have a higher 10 years mortality with a functioning kidney.