Abstract Background With improvements in care for people with
Cystic Fibrosis (pwCF), total
survival after
Lung Transplantation (LTx)
will be longer. Therefore, this
population's up-to-date
analysis of late-onset post-
transplant metabolic and vascular
complications will be more relevant in current clinical practice.
Methods We studied 100 pwCF
who underwent an LTx between 2001 and 2020 at the
University Medical Centre Utrecht, the
Netherlands. The median age at
transplant was 31 years and 55 percent was
male. We assessed
survival, the
prevalence of metabolic
complications (diabetes, renal damage,
dyslipidemia, and
metabolic syndrome), and vascular
complications (
hypertension,
heart rhythm
disease, micro-, and macrovascular
disease). In addition, differences in
risks for developing
complications based on
sex and overall
survival were analyzed. Results The
prevalence of macrovascular
disease raised to 15.9 percent 15 years post-LTx. The
prevalence of diabetes increased from 63 percent at LTx to over 90 percent 15 years post-LTx and the
prevalence of
dyslipidemia increased from 21 percent to over 80 percent.
Survival 1-, 2-, 5-, and 10 years post-
transplant were 84, 80, 76, and 58 percent respectively. No significant differences were found based on
sex. Conclusion This study shows that the
prevalence of
cardiovascular risk factors increases after LTx for CF, potentially leading to major
complications. These data emphasize the necessity of regular check-ups for metabolic and vascular
complications after LTx with specific
attention to renal damage. Early recognition of these
complications is crucial and
will lead to earlier intervention, which could
lead to improved
prognosis after
lung transplantation.